Assad issues conditional amnesty for condemned Syrians
President Bashar al-Assad issued an amnesty on Thursday for Syrians convicted of crimes committed before Nov. 16, but listed a number of exclusions including for offenders who had caused deaths or been involved in weapons smuggling. The decree, published by state news agency SANA, said that sentences would be lifted in full for some convicts, including those who had committed misdemeanours, those with incurable diseases and those over the age of 70. It said those qualifying for the amnesty who had been sentenced to death would instead serve lifelong jail terms, while those sentenced to life ...