Syrian authorities freed hundreds of political prisoners after President Bashar al-Assad issued a general amnesty in response to 10 weeks of protests against his rule, a Syrian rights group said today.
Mr Assad's move to placate protesters calling for his overthrow has not ended a crackdown on demonstrators.
On Tuesday, security forces shelled the central town of Rastan, killing 41 civilians.
A blend of force and reformist gestures has failed to quell a growing movement against Mr Assad's rule. Instead it has provoked international condemnation and sanctions as the civilian death toll, which rights groups say has passed 1,000.
Rami Abdelrahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said most of those released were protesters from the suburbs of Damascus, the cities of Banias, Homs and Latakia, as well as Deraa in the south and the eastern Hasaka region.
"The releases started from Tuesday night and are continuing until today. Dozens are being transported from central detention facilities in Damascus to local detention centres where they are expected to be released shortly," Mr Abdelrahman said.
Rights groups estimate that more than 10,000 people have been arrested since protests erupted in mid-March.
The amnesty does not seem to have covered teenage girl blogger Tal al-Molouhy, sentenced to five years in jail earlier this year on charges of revealing information to a foreign country, despite US calls to release her, Mr Abdelrahman said. Ms Molouhy had written internet postings in which she said she longed for a role in shaping the direction of Syria.
The government blames the unrest on armed groups backed by Islamists and foreign powers, who fire at both civilians and security men. Along with the amnesty, Mr Assad has launched preparations for a national dialogue, but opposition figures, activists and protesters say this means little while repression continues.
Human Rights Watch said yesterday that witness testimony showed security forces were guilty of "systematic killings and torture" in Deraa. The New York-based group said the actions strongly suggested they qualified as crimes against humanity.
French foreign minister Alain Juppe said the amnesty had come too late and that Syrian authorities had to have a "much clearer and more ambitious" change of direction.
The death of Hamza al-Khatib, aged 13, who rights groups said was tortured and killed in custody, has drawn outrage from the United States and spurred more protests in Syria.
Syrian authorities deny he was tortured, saying he was killed at a demonstration in which armed gangs shot at guards. Syrian dissidents meeting in the Turkish coastal city of Antalya have called on Mr Assad to quit and make way for democracy.
Reuters