“The Syrian regime of Bashar Al-Assad is reportedly “blackmailing” the relatives of recently-released detainees by demanding huge amounts of money in return for the guarantee that their cases will be closed.
Speaking to the UK-based news organisation, the New Arab, SNHR’s Director, Fadel Abdul Ghany, told it that, so far, only 523 detainees have been released under the amnesty while around 132,000 others on ‘terrorism’ charges are still being held in Syria’s prison network.
“Those who Assad arrested or disappeared are his hostages, he is acting like a mafia,” Abdul Ghany said. Adding that,around 87,000 forcibly disappeared people are still thought to be detained by Damascus, “only 6 or 7 forcibly disappeared people had been released as part of the amnesty decree.”
Under the current rate of release, he stated, the amnesty cannot be fulfilled. “If Assad continues to release an amnesty decree every year, and releases one thousand [each time], then we need 132 years until all detainees are released, [that is] if he was to stop arresting [people] … and he never stops.”
