The Assad regime has opened an office in the Turkish city of Istanbul to "resolve the situation of the Syrian opposition in Turkey".
Nader Azizi, the director of the office, said in a statement published today that the office of "Aman ad-Darb" is primarily a humanitarian office, "helping those who lost their way and were deceived, to resolve their situation and go back to the bosom of their nation".
"We are working to include people in the amnesty issued by our leader Assad, to make these people accepted again among the community," Azizi said, in a report on Radio Rosana.
Azizi did not clarify in his statement whether he actually has an office in Istanbul, or that his activities are limited to those of a group called "The Office of the Syrian National Reconciliation: Aman (safety)".
The director of the office explained the steps involved in the process, saying the full name of the citizen who wants to return to Syria is recorded, and the office then informs him whether he is included in the presidential amnesty or not.
Azizi did not disclose whether there are any safeguards to protect those who want to return to Syria, or to prevent them being killed or imprisoned or tortured on return, nor did he detail the methods of communication between the office and Syrian intelligence, stressing that the mission of the office is "purely humanitarian."
A closed group of "The Office" on Facebook includes 239 members. Aks Al-Ser was not able to access the group, because Azizi refused the requests by multiple people who tried to join.
Translated and edited by The Syrian Observer
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