Syrian regime’s president Bashar al-Assad has issued Legislative Decree No. 37 of 2023 regarding mandatory service in the Syrian regime’s forces, which includes Syrians who have been assigned such duty.

The decree, issued on Friday, December 1, according to the paragraph added to Article 26 of the Military Service Act, issued by Legislative Decree No. 30 of 2007 and its amendments, allows reservists who have reached the age of 40 and have not yet joined the service to pay an exemption fee for the legal obligation to serve in the reserve.

According to the legislative decree, the value of the exemption fee for reserve service is $4,800 or its equivalent in Syrian pounds (approximately 67 million SYP), as reported by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).

The decree comes within the framework of organizing the state of combat readiness in the ranks of the armed forces, the continuous assessment of the number of those assigned to the reserve service, and its direct connection to the field conditions and the percentage of those joining the mandatory service, according to SANA.

The decree allows those who have joined the reserve service and reached the age of forty and are still performing their service to pay the mentioned cash payment, with a deduction of $200 or its equivalent in Syrian pounds for each month they have served in the reserve.

The Syrian regime had previously issued Decree No. 36 on November 16, which granted a “general amnesty” for crimes committed prior to its date.

The decree included a conditional amnesty for military deserters inside Syria to turn themselves in within three months and for deserters outside Syria to turn themselves in within six months, according to the Military Penal Code issued under Decree No. 61 of 1950.

Meanwhile, the regime’s Ministry of Defense continues to announce calls for voluntary service in its ranks, with a range of incentives for those interested in volunteering under specific contracts for positions as officers and personnel.

The volunteer contract, named the “Combatant Contract,” includes two service periods: five years and ten years. The volunteer contracts for both periods include a salary of up to 1,300,000 Syrian pounds, along with compensations, bonuses including a start of service bonus, an annual bonus, and a non-refundable marriage grant worth two million pounds.

The ministry’s statement also stipulates that volunteers who complete five years of the contract will be exempt from mandatory service.