The so-called general amnesty comes weeks before the May 26 presidential election, the second such polls since the start of the country’s decade-long civil war. xSANA news agency published the decree but did not say how many prisoners would benefit. The amnesty stipulates that pardons will be granted to prisoners convicted for crimes committed before May 2, 2021, including those convicted for misdemeanours as well as minors facing certain charges. But suspects convicted of “terrorist” acts that led to deaths would not benefit from the amnesty, according to the text of the decree published by the state news agency. In 2014, after securing a new term in a controversial election conducted only in government-controlled areas, Assad likewise issued an amnesty.

Source: The Guardian May 02, 2021 14:48 UTC