Syrian government released two journalists according to amnesty decree
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – On Monday, the Syrian government released both the anchorwoman of the Syrian government TV, Hala al-Jurf, after three months of arrest, and the journalist, Kinan Waqqaf who was arrested nearly two months ago.
Both al-Jurf and Waqqaf were released in accordance with a presidential amnesty decree that included the penalties stipulated in Articles 285-286 penalties related to the weakening the national sentiment and leaking fake information to cause confusion and distort public opinion.
On May 2, the Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, issued the Legislative Decree No. 13 of 2021, which grants a general amnesty for perpetrators of misdemeanors, offenses and felonies occurring before the date of the decree’s issuance.
Lawyers in Damascus believe that this decree included, for the first time in the history of the amnesty decrees, crimes that undermine the prestige of the state and weaken national sentiment, which the Syrian government uses as a pretext to restrict media freedom and arrest journalists.
In January, al-Jurf was arrested, after writing a post on her Facebook criticizing the living situation in Syria.
On March 7, the journalist Waqqaf was arrested, after he wrote a post on his Facebook, in which he talked about a kidnapping by the son of the governor of Hasakah, Major General Ghassan Khalil, in order to obtain financial compensation.