Assad issues general amnesty for prisoners

AMMAN, Jordan — Syrian President Bashar Assad, who won re-election last week amid the country’s three-year civil war, issued a general amnesty for prisoners Monday.

The Syrian state news agency reported the wide-ranging edict included the commuting of death sentences to life sentences, reduction of life sentences to 20 years and some pardons.

The amnesty covers many prisoners held for violations of Syria’s counterterrorism law, whichwas introduced in July 2012 and gave authorities sweeping powers to apprehend individuals for crimes such as “spreading false news” or “promoting causes that would weaken national feeling,” the news agency reported. Human rights activists contend the law criminalizes opposition activity.

The amnesty also includes non-Syrians provided that they surrender to authorities within a month. The Syrian government routinely accuses armed opposition forces of being made up of large numbers of foreign fighters.

Exact figures for the number of prisoners who will benefit from the amnesty were unavailable. International rights groups and opposition activists say tens of thousands of anti-government protesters and their supporters have been imprisoned.

Justice Minister Najem al-Ahmad hailed the amnesty as part of the “framework of social forgiveness and national unity” despite government forces “facing the powers of evil and darkness,” a reference to the uprisings and fighting that have gripped the country since March 2011.