President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday issued Legislative Decree No. 61 for the year 2011 granting general amnesty for crimes committed before May 31, 2011.

The amnesty includes all members of Muslim Brotherhood and other detainees belonging to political movements.

The amnesty also pardons half penalties for felonies if there was no personal claim.

Article 1:

Granting general amnesty for all crimes committed before May 31, 2011 according to the following:

a. Replacing death penalty with life sentence of hard labor or long imprisonment sentence according to the crime.

b. Replacing life sentence of hard work with 20 years imprisonment with hard labor and replacing long-life imprisonment sentence with 20 years imprisonment.

c. Temporary sentence for the convicted who reached age 70 by the date of issuing this decree.

d. Life sentence for the convicted who reached age 70 by the date of issuing this decree if the crime committed before he/she was sixty.

e. Full punishment for crimes included in Law 49 for the year 1980.

f. Half penalty of temporary sentence for felonies.

g. Full punishment for misdemeanors.

h. Full punishment for breaches of law.

i. The amnesty also pardons quarter of the penalties for the following crimes:

1- Felonies mentioned in the Economic Penalties Law stipulated for in the legislative Decree No. /37/ for 1966 and its amendments.

2- Felonies stipulated for in the legislative Decree No. /13/ for 1974.

3- Crimes mentioned in the following articles of the Penalties Law stipulated for in the legislative Decree No. /148/ for 1949 and its amendments Nos. 341/342/343and from /345/ to /355/ and 386 and 387.

j. The complete deprivation of freedom penalty in the crimes stipulated for in the legislative Decree No. /59/ for 2008.

k. All the measures for qualifying and taking care of juveniles in the misdemeanors. l. The complete penalty for those who committed the crime of internal escape mentioned in the Article No. /100/ of the Military Penalties Law stipulated for in the legislative Decree No. /61/ for 1950 and its amendments. While those who are hiding, are not included by the rules of this article unless they turn themselves in during 30 days of issuing this decree.

m. The complete penalty for those who have committed crimes of external escape mentioned in the Article No. /101/ stipulated for in the Military Penalties Law the legislative Decree No. /61/ for 1950 and its amendments. While those who are hiding, are not included by this article unless they turn themselves in during three months of issuing this decree.