DAMASCUS, July 16 (AFP) - President Bashar al-Assad has ordered a partial amnesty for prisoners in Syria, in a decree issued on the eve of the fourth anniversary of his rise to power, the state news agency SANA reported Friday.
The amnesty for "crimes committed before July 15, 2004" covers deserters and traffickers, but not drugs or arms smugglers, according to a presidential decree quoted by SANA.
It also commutes sentences imposed for economic crimes, while excluding those convicted in absentia unless they surrender within three to six months.
Human rights activist and lawyer Anwar Bunni told AFP the amnesty showed that "the Syrian authorities are deliberately ignoring all demands for the release of political detainees".
Since December the president has pardoned more than 800 political prisoners, and he ordered an amnesty in June 2000 for prisoners aged under 18. It was unclear how many prisoners the latest amnesty would benefit.