On the Amnesty law in Syria

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday signed an Amnesty which covered thousands of political prisoners just two weeks following an Amnesty for 600 political prisoners.

The chairman of the civilization forum Omar Abu Zlaam said on Friday in an interview with the BBC that according to what was approved by President Bashar al-Assad, the detainees whose names mentioned in certain Lebanese paper issued in London were released. He added that these detainees were actually released and we knew names of many of them from the Muslim Brothers and the Communists labor party and various other opposition trends.

When asked that the Forum signed on Thursday a memorandum calling on the Syrian authorities to release the detainees, he said " On Thursday ( the day before yesterday) there was a seminar to this effect and also to back the uprising. I have proposed that the forum should not only cover the Intifada but also several issues, including the completion of releasing all political detainees and converting the detention centers into study centers." He added that the Forum which was held on Thursday at the house of Riyadh al-Seif house has dealt with these matters frankly in a constructive language not in a condemning spirit."

Abu Zlaam was asked whether these forums are growing under the patronage of President Bashar al-Assad, and he said these forums had existed before the death of the later President Hafez al-Assad", and there were developing and new forums for this idea which we have started. But under President Bashar al-Assad these forums have started to increase because, firstly that the need for a citizen to practice his liberty and thinking and secondly because President Bashar al-Assad has strengthened in his taking oath ceremony the capability of citizen practice his liberty in a responsible way."