Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) says the amnesty issued Sunday covers those who have demonstrated peacefully, those who have carried unlicensed weapons and those who hand over their weapons to authorities before the end of January. It also applies to army deserters who fled military service if they turn themselves in before 31 January.
It was not clear how many prisoners would be affected by Sunday's pardon.
Since the outbreak of the uprising against Assad's rule in March, Assad has freed 3,952 prisoners, according to SANA. The opposition claims there are thousands more in Syrian prisons.
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