President al-Assad's pardon covers all Jordanians, most Palestinians

President Hafez al-Assad has announced a general pardon for crimes committed before March 11, 1999, which marked the beginning of his new constitutional term.

According to the newly-enacted legislative decree no. 3 for 1999, the pardon will cover the majority of prisoners or those under custody in matters pertaining to smuggling and bribery and fleeing from army service.

The number of pardoned people is expected to exceed 200,000 persons. The pardon also covers, as stated by the Syrian minister of justice in a statement to the Lebanese daily al-Nahar "all crimes relating to law no. 24 for 1986 and its amendments on hard currencies and precious metals crimes."

The Syrian minister added that the pardon will also cover all prisoners according to law no 13 of 1974 and its amendment pertaining to "drug smuggling" as well as all crimes that fall under law 37 for 1966 and its amendment on bribes.

Sources in Damascus expected that the pardon will cover some 2,253 prisoners who are under investigation according to the economic laws in the provinces of Aleppo, Damascus and Homs, more than 150,000 supply cases (violating prices of foodstuffs), while Syrian Justice Minister Hussein Hassoun stressed that the pardon will "cover thousands of prisoners," but he did not give a definite number.

The Syrian minister added that killings and honor crimes are excluded. Diplomatic sources concerned in Damascus expressed their conviction that the pardon will cover the majority of Jordanian prisoners because of their "ordinary political criminal crimes" and "numerous Palestinians, for the same reasons," but his pardon does not include "political prisoners."

President al-Assad had pardoned more than 1,500 political prisoners by the end of 1995.