Syria’s Assad grants amnesty to 100s of prisoners
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has granted amnesty to hundreds of the country’s prisoners following his victory in presidential election.
The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday that 320 prisoners were released from the northern Aleppo Central prison on Wednesday.
The observatory also said 480 other prisoners would be released from Adra prison in Damascus province.
The UK–based group stated that all the Adra prisoners to be released had been detained on charges of terrorism.
According to reports, nearly 18,000 people are being held in prisons across the Arab country. Around 3,500 detainees are said to be held at Aleppo Central prison, which the foreign-backed militants fighting against the Syrian government have repeatedly attacked since April last year.
On Wednesday, it was announced that Assad won 88.7 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s presidential election.
Following the announcement, crowds took to streets throughout the country to celebrate the victory of the incumbent president.
International delegates observing the presidential election released a statement, calling the vote democratic and transparent.
Assad, MP Maher al-Hajjar, and businessman Hassan al-Nouri were competing for the top post.
Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since March 2011. Over 160,000 people have reportedly been killed and millions displaced due to the violence fueled by the foreign-backed militants.
According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies — especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey — are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.
