HTS grants general amnesty amid protests in Syria’s Idlib, Aleppo
IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, formerly al-Nusra Front) issued on Tuesday evening a general amnesty for all prisoners held in its detention centers, under several conditions and exceptions.
The Salvation Government, the civil wing of the HTS, announced in a statement that, “In observance of the month of Ramadan, a general amnesty has been granted to all offenders.”
The amnesty decision included a set of conditions and exceptions, the first of which was obtaining a certificate of good conduct and behavior from the authorities of the prison.
The decision excludes crimes related to border violations, retribution, kidnapping, armed robbery, theft punishable by imprisonment for more than eight months, with a fine exceeding 1,000 US dollars. It also includes recidivism, drug trafficking and distribution, counterfeiting currency, and its circulation.
The decision was made in tandem with demonstrations rejecting the policies of the HTS, and demanding the release of hundreds of detainees, the removal of al-Julani, the improvement of prison conditions, and the transparency of the prison system.
On Tuesday, protests persist in al-Atarib, Darat Azza in the Aleppo western countryside, Idlib city, Binnish, and al-Fu’ah in Idlib countryside.
Concurrently with the amnesty decision, the Salvation Government blocked the entrances to the town of Darat Izza in the countryside of Aleppo after protests against it.
Security reinforcements were brought in from the town of Dana north Idlib, and raids and arrests were conducted in various neighborhoods of the town.
So far HTS has arrested 38 people, according to North Press correspondent.
Additionally, dozens of residents from the city of al-Bab in the eastern countryside of Aleppo demonstrated on Tuesday evening, in solidarity with the ongoing protests in Idlib and its countryside, additionally, it aimed to show solidarity with the residents of Suwayda in their opposition to the Syrian government.