President Bashar al-Assad of Syria issued a decree on Monday granting “a general amnesty” for all crimes except for “acts of terrorism”. The announcement raised hopes among Syrians with relatives in detention. Reports about the amnesty in the Syrian state news media did not say specifically whether it would affect the many Syrians who, by the rights advocates’ accounts, are being held without charge for political reasons or have been charged with offenses like delivering humanitarian aid to opposition-controlled areas or attending protests.
ABC News correspondent Tom Rivers joined us to discuss:
