«DAMASCUS: President Bashar Assad has quashed jail sentences imposed by the state security court on two students who walked free Thursday, one day after the Syrian leader pardoned 300 detained Kurds, a human rights lawyer said. "President Bashar Assad refused to approve the verdict issued by the state security court against students Mohammed Bashir Arab and Muhannad Debes, who were released today," Anwar Bunni said.»
«The lawyer praised the releases but called for the "cancellation of all verdicts issued by the state security court which is an emergency tribunal, as well as the release of all political prisoners," including six opposition members still held after being arrested in September 2001. »
«Human rights groups estimate that between 1,500 and 2,000 political detainees are held in jails in Syria.»
In other words – to keep his head off the block.«The sit-in protested an official decree ending the automatic right of engineering graduates to a job in the public sector.»
«On Wednesday, Assad granted a presidential pardon and ordered all 312 Kurds arrested during deadly clashes at Qamichli in March 2004 to be freed, said the official news agency Sana.»
«Those clashes pitted Kurdish protesters against Syrian security forces and Arab tribes in Qamichli and Aleppo, in which the Kurds said 40 people died and the Syrian authorities gave a death toll of 25.»
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