On Sunday, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued a decree granting a “general amnesty” for crimes committed before September 22, 2024. The decree includes crimes such as desertion, misdemeanours, and violations, but it comes with multiple exceptions and conditions, continuing a pattern of controversial pardons since the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011.
According to the regime’s official news agency, SANA, the amnesty grants full pardons for internal and external military desertion, as outlined in the Military Penal Code. However, it excludes individuals in hiding or those labelled as “fugitives from justice” unless they surrender within three months for internal escape, or within four months for external escape.
The decree offers leniency for certain misdemeanours but notably excludes severe offences such as bribery, forgery, public morals violations, and some forms of theft. Further exceptions include crimes under building control laws, economic crimes, electricity theft, fraudulent use of communication services, violations of the Consumer Protection Law, and dealing in currencies other than the Syrian pound. Victims of crimes involving personal property must be compensated, and the decree does not absolve perpetrators from personal legal claims, which remain under the jurisdiction of the courts for one year following the decree’s issuance.
Political Prisoners and Amnesty’s Limitations
Despite the issuance of 24 amnesty decrees since the start of the revolution, none have adequately addressed the situation of political prisoners in Syria. Human rights organizations estimate that tens of thousands of Syrians—activists, journalists, intellectuals, and ordinary citizens—have been arbitrarily detained by the regime, often without charges or due process. These prisoners are subjected to extreme conditions, including torture, enforced disappearances, and prolonged isolation, with many held for years without trial. Political detainees remain largely excluded from these amnesty decrees, which predominantly benefit those convicted of non-political offences such as military desertion and misdemeanours.
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The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) reports that out of approximately 135,253 detainees and forcibly disappeared persons, the regime has released only 7,351 individuals under all these decrees—a mere 5% of the total. The plight of political prisoners, many of whom have vanished into the regime’s notorious prison system, underscores the broader lack of accountability and justice in Syria. Assad’s amnesty decrees, while presented as gestures of leniency, often fail to address these deeper issues, instead serving the regime’s interests by replenishing its military ranks or pressuring deserters to pay exemption fees.
Political and Military Implications
Critics argue that Assad’s amnesty decrees serve more as a tool for consolidating power than as a genuine step toward justice. Dr. Ahmed Qorbi, a legal researcher at the Syrian Dialogue Center, explained that these decrees primarily benefit the regime by either boosting the ranks of its military forces through the return of deserters or pressuring those who wish to avoid service to pay military exemption fees, thus propping up the local currency with U.S. dollars.
While the regime presents these amnesties as part of its broader efforts to restore order, they are often seen as political moves aimed at influencing public opinion on an Arab and regional level. The decrees rarely include political prisoners, instead offering amnesty to drug users, deserters, and those convicted of criminal offences. This selective leniency reflects the regime’s ongoing strategy of repressing dissent while appearing to engage in reform.
The problem of political prisoners in Syria remains one of the most pressing human rights crises under Assad’s regime. Many of those detained since the uprising in 2011 remain in custody, denied due process and subjected to harsh conditions. Despite Assad’s repeated amnesty decrees, the majority of these political prisoners—many of whom have been forcibly disappeared—continue to languish in detention, highlighting the regime’s relentless suppression of opposition and its broader disregard for justice.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
