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Syrian authorities release 270 detainees nationwide

Xinhua, December 7, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Syrian authorities on Sunday released as many as 270 detainees as part of a special presidential pardon, local Sama TV reported.

Citing Minister of Justice Najm Addien Ahmad, the report said the detainees were set free on Sunday from several Syrian provinces, noting that the release process came after a special presidential pardon by President Bashar al-Assad.

He said another number of detainees will be released on batches.

The step is part of the government's ongoing effort to establish what it calls "national reconciliation" in rebel-held areas.

The report stopped short of giving details on the crimes committed by the released detainees.

The government has recently established a truce with the militants in the Qudsayah suburb west of Damascus and the al-Waer neighborhood, the last rebel-held district in the central city of Homs.

The recently-concluded truces include the release of detainees from government jails, as a goodwill sign.

President Assad has issued several amnesties during the country's long-running conflict, covering those who were arrested against the backdrop of the crisis, but whose hands "have not been smeared in the Syrian blood." Endit