DAMASCUS - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday issued a legislative decree granting a general amnesty for deserters and those charged with or jailed over minor offenses before Sept 22, 2024, according to the state news agency SANA.

The decree grants full pardons to those convicted of internal and external desertion under Syria's military penal code. However, it stipulates that fugitives from justice or those in hiding will not benefit from the amnesty unless they turn themselves in within three months for internal desertion cases and four months for external desertion.

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The amnesty also applies to minor offenses and violations, excluding serious crimes that affect public safety and state security, such as bribery, certain forms of forgery, public indecency, and specific types of theft.

Certain offenses related to construction regulations, economic crimes, electricity theft, fraudulent use of communication services, and consumer protection violations are also excluded from the pardon. Additionally, academic exam fraud, illegal currency dealings, and violations against forest lands are not covered.

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For offenses involving harm to personal property, the amnesty is contingent upon how the offender compensates the victim. The decree does not affect civil lawsuits, which remain under the jurisdiction of the relevant court. Victims retain the right to file civil claims in criminal courts within one year of the decree's issuance.