Syria frees 60 prisoners in presidential amnesty

Syrian authorities have freed 60 detainees, including some held in regime prisons for over a decade, in a presidential amnesty which covers terror-related convictions, a war monitor said.

"About 60 detainees have been released since Sunday, from various Syrian regions, some of whom have spent at least 10 years" in regime prisons notorious for killings and torture, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

President Bashar al-Assad has issued several amnesty decrees during the country's 11-year war.

But human rights activists said the new decree issued on Saturday is the most comprehensive in relation to terrorism charges.

The new decree calls for "granting a general amnesty for terrorist crimes committed by Syrians" before April 30, 2022, "except for those leading to the death of a person".

This would mean that tens of thousands of detainees could be released.

Many are accused of terrorism offences, "a loose label used to convict those who are arbitrarily arrested".

Syrian activists shared a list of 20 released detainees on social media, including people who wasted for years in the notorious Sednaya prison.

"This is the first time in years that prisoners walk free from Sednaya prison," Mohammad Al Abdallah, who heads the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre, said.