MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Syrian President Bashar Assad has issued a decree amnestying army deserters in and out of the conflict-torn country, local media cited the legal document Saturday.
"The decree grants amnesty on the full penalty for those who have deserted inside the country [and] those who have deserted outside the country," the decree, published on the Syrian TV website, stated.
According to the Syrian Arab News Agency, local deserters have 30 days to turn themselves in to the authorities. Deserters from abroad have a 60-day deadline to do the same.