The Syrian Salvation Government (SSG) operating in Idlib has issued a decree granting a general amnesty to criminals on the occasion of the month of Ramadan, with an endorsement of a project to grant a general amnesty, under certain terms and exceptions.

According to the decree issued yesterday, Wednesday, March 5, a general amnesty will be granted to those who commit crimes after obtaining a “certificate of good conduct and behavior” according to four provisions:

• A pardon for the entire duration of imprisonment and flogging as a public right, for those who have received final judicial sentences.
• A pardon for half the duration of imprisonment and flogging for those who have not yet received a final judicial sentence.
• A pardon for the entire pecuniary ta’azir punishment if the amount sentenced is one thousand US dollars or less, or the equivalent in other currencies.
• A pardon for half the pecuniary ta’azir punishment if the amount sentenced exceeds one thousand US dollars or its equivalent in other currencies.

Excluded from the provisions of the decree are crimes of hadd and qisas, kidnapping, armed robbery, and theft where the punishment exceeds eight months of imprisonment, or if the pecuniary ta’azir exceeds one thousand US dollars, recidivism, drug trafficking and dealing, as well as currency forgery and trafficking.

Fugitives from justice can benefit from the decree, provided that they surrender themselves within a maximum period of 30 days from the date of its issuance.

For personal rights lawsuits, the personal right must be dropped to benefit from the provisions of this decree, and the decree’s provisions apply to crimes and criminal facts that occurred before the date of its issuance.

The Salvation Government grants a general amnesty to prisoners in its controlled areas according to mechanisms and conditions on specific occasions such as the anniversary of the Syrian revolution, the month of Ramadan, and the holidays.

This amnesty coincides with demonstrations rejecting the policy of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) which holds the military control in Idlib, with demands to overthrow the faction leader Abu Mohammad al-Jolani and release detainees and clear the prisons, with the latest demonstrations taking place today in al-Atarib and Darat Izza in the western countryside of Aleppo.

The demonstrators vowed to continue their movement until their demands are met, condemning the policy of Tahrir al-Sham, describing it as similar to the Syrian regime and its security branches.

Four days ago, the head of the Supreme Fatwa Council in Tahrir al-Sham, Abdul Rahim Atoun, pledged to visit prisons and issue a general amnesty for the detainees, along with promises of a number of reforms and measures to be implemented and announced, without clarifying their nature.

On February 24, the family of the element Abdul Qader al-Hakim, known as “Abu Ubaidah Tal Hadya,” from the Ahrar al-Sham faction, confirmed his death in the prisons of Tahrir al-Sham due to torture inflicted on the basis of the “collaboration and espionage” file, as he was arrested about ten months ago and buried by the HTS five months ago without informing his family.

General amnesty decree for criminals under terms and exceptions in Idlib – March 5, 2024 (The Syrian Salvation Government)