Syria’s President Assad issues general amnesty for terror-related crimes

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued a general amnesty on Wednesday that pardons those charged with terror-related crimes that didn’t result in fatalities, as well as draft dodgers if they report to duty within three to four months.

Syria’s official news agency SANA, citing a copy of the presidential decree, reported that the amnesty applies to crimes committed before December 21, 2022.

The decree noted that draft dodgers inside Syria will have three months to take advantage of the amnesty, while those abroad will have four months.

The amnesty, however, does not cover Syrian nationals who took up arms to fight the state, colluded with foreign nations against their country, or joined foreign-sponsored terrorist groups in Syria.

The Damascus government had previously issued similar amnesties during the 11-year foreign-sponsored conflict in Syria, which aimed to allow the Syrian nationals who broke the country’s laws to return to normal life.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The Syrian government says the United States, the Israeli regime, and their Western and regional allies are materially sponsoring Takfiri terrorist groups that are engaged in destabilizing activities in the country.

Israel frequently violates Syrian sovereignty by targeting military positions inside the country, especially those of the resistance movement Hezbollah, which has played a key role in helping the Syrian army in its fight against foreign-backed terrorists.

The Tel Aviv regime mostly keeps quiet about its attacks on Syrian territories, which many views as a knee-jerk reaction to the Syrian government’s increasing success in confronting terrorism.

The Israeli regime has been a key supporter of terrorist groups that have battled the government of President Bashar al-Assad since foreign-backed militancy erupted in Syria in early 2011.

Syria has repeatedly complained to the UN over Israeli assaults, urging the Security Council to take action against Tel Aviv’s crimes. The calls have, however, fallen on deaf ears.