Reconciliation deals | Regime opens new “settlement” centre in eastern Qalamoun, Rif Dimashq

SOHR sources have reported that regime’s security services have opened a “settlement” centre near the “finance” building in Al-Qatifah, in eastern Qalamoun in Rif Dimashq.

This comes as regime security services continued to reduce the number of released detainees compared to the beginning of the amnesty decree, releasing only individuals from several Syrian provinces, most notably “Rif Dimashq, Daraa and Aleppo.”

On May 24, SOHR activists reported that in light of promises made by regime to release thousands of detainees under the presidential amnesty issued in late April, which was followed by the release of a number of prisoners in batches of nearly 1,168 detainees and prisoners from all Syrian provinces till now. This amnesty includes persons who were arrested during the past months in criminal cases and others who were detained by regime security branches in terrorism cases.

In this context, SOHR activists monitored that regime security services continued to reduce the number of released detainees compared to the beginning of the amnesty decree, releasing only individuals from several Syrian provinces, most notably “Rif Dimashq, Daraa and Aleppo.”

However, many of the detainees’ families still hope that they might meet their loved ones.

It is worth noting that the number of the recently-released regime army defectors reached 27 people from areas in Rif Dimashq, Daraa, Al-Quneitra and Homs.

Moreover, regime security services forced the detainees who had worked in governmental institutions to sign documents obligating them to turn to their former institutions also in no more than 15 days to settle their security status.

This comes as part of the releases of detainees and prisoners under the presidential “amnesty issued by the Syrian regime’s president on April 30, which stipulates “granting amnesty to individuals involved in “terror-related crimes” committed before April 30, 2022, except for crimes which led to the death of any civilians.”

SOHR reported that the number of released prisoners is a very small number, as tens of thousands of detainees are supposed to be released according to this general amnesty. Furthermore, the Syrian regime has not issued any official statistics or announced any lists of the individuals who have been released or those who are covered by the amnesty and will be released in the incoming days.

According to SOHR statistics, 969,854 people, including 155,002 women, have been arrested by regime security services since the beginning of the “Syrian Revolution” in March 2011. It is worth noting that 152,713 people, including 41,312 women, remain in regime prisons.

Reliable sources have informed the Syrian Observatory that the number of people killed, executed and/or died in regime prisons exceeded 105,000 people. Over 83% of the total death toll were killed and/or died in these prisons between May 2013 and October 2015, the period when the Iranians were supervising regime’s prisons.