Amnesty granted to Syrian war dodgers

According to SANA, Assad issued a decree "which grants a general amnesty to those who defected and are still in or have fled Syria."

The decree is the second such amnesty in 13 months. It stipulates that defectors who have fled the country are given two months to hand themselves in, while those still inside Syria have one month to do so.

The amnesty wipes away "the entire punishment for those who fled inside Syria, as explained in article 100 of the military penal code," and "those who have fled the country, as explained in article 101".

Those particular articles do not, however, refer to army members who joined the ranks of "the enemy," or who used their weapons against orders.

A military source said that the decree "only includes those who defected and who did not participate in military activities after their defection or stain their hands with blood."

Syria's four-year civil war has stretched the government's dwindling army, which is battling rebels and jihadist groups.

In early July, Damascus launched a mass public campaign to encourage citizens to enlist in the army.

More than 80,000 soldiers and pro-government militiamen have been killed since the beginning of Syria's conflict in March 2011, making up more than a third of the war's total toll of 230,000, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

At least 70,000 men have also dodged military service throughout the country, the Britain-based Observatory said.

The deaths, defections, and difficulties in enlisting new recruits have more than halved the army's size since 2011, experts say.

glb/bw (AFP, AP)