Syrian Regime Amnesty Decree Released only 547 Detainees

Many Syrians gathered on May 3 in Damascus hoping for the release of relatives held in regime prisons. [LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty]
Many Syrians gathered on May 3 in Damascus hoping for the release of relatives held in regime prisons. [LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty]
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Syrian Regime Amnesty Decree Released only 547 Detainees

Many Syrians gathered on May 3 in Damascus hoping for the release of relatives held in regime prisons. [LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty]
Many Syrians gathered on May 3 in Damascus hoping for the release of relatives held in regime prisons. [LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty]

The Syrian Network for Human Rights documented the release of 547 detainees from Syrian prisons during the period between early May till mid-June.

It stressed in a report on Saturday that there are some 132,000 people still detained or held in regime prison.

The report confirmed that between May 1 and June 13, amongst those released were 61 women and 16 people who were children at the time they were arrested.

A presidential decree called in May for “granting a general amnesty for terrorist crimes committed by Syrians” before April 30, 2022, “except for those leading to the death of a person.”

According to the report, among those released, at least 158 had seen their security situation adjusted before being arrested and had been granted a settlement pledge that they would not be aggressed by security branches.

Also, 28 people were arrested after returning to Syria, having been refugees and residents outside the country. These included four women, the report said.

The network called on the international community to pressure the Assad regime to release the people who are still detained or held in regime prisons, including 87,000 people who are among the forcibly disappeared.

It also demanded that the regime cancels its exceptional courts and nullify all its verdicts that violate many of the basic rights of the Syrian citizens.

They ruled out the implementation of any of these demands without a political transition that ends the tyranny and brutality of the security services.



UK Military Launches Airstrikes with US Targeting Yemen's Houthis

Flames rise from a position following alleged US airstrikes, in Sanaa, Yemen, 28 April 2025. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
Flames rise from a position following alleged US airstrikes, in Sanaa, Yemen, 28 April 2025. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
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UK Military Launches Airstrikes with US Targeting Yemen's Houthis

Flames rise from a position following alleged US airstrikes, in Sanaa, Yemen, 28 April 2025. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
Flames rise from a position following alleged US airstrikes, in Sanaa, Yemen, 28 April 2025. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB

The British military launched airstrikes with the United States targeting Yemen's Houthi militias, officials said early Wednesday, their first involvement with America's new intense campaign targeting the Iran-backed group.

The United Kingdom offered a detailed explanation of its reason to launch the strike.

The UK's Defense Ministry described the site attacked as “a cluster of buildings, used by the Houthis to manufacture drones of the type used to attack ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, located some 15 miles (25 kilometers) south of Sanaa.”

Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s took part in the raid, dropping Paveway IV guided bombs, the ministry added.

“The strike was conducted after dark, when the likelihood of any civilians being in the area was reduced yet further,” the ministry said.

The British offered no information on the damage done in the strike, nor whether it believed there were any casualties.

“This action was taken in response to a persistent threat from the Houthis to freedom of navigation,” said John Healey, the UK's secretary of state for defense. “A 55% drop in shipping through the Red Sea has already cost billions, fueling regional instability and risking economic security for families in the UK.”

The Houthis reported several strikes around Yemen's capital, Sanaa. Other strikes hit around Saada.

President Donald Trump ordered the intensification of US strikes on Yemen last month, with his administration saying it will continue assaulting the Houthis until they stop attacking Red Sea shipping.

The British have taken part in airstrikes alongside the US since the Biden administration began its campaign of strikes targeting the Houthis back in January 2024. However, this new strike is the first to see the British involved in the campaign under Trump.

The US military said over the weekend it has struck over 800 targets since mid-March.