Syria issues pardon for army deserters, draft dodgers

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9 October 2018, 5:35 pm Edit

Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad issues a general amnesty for army deserters and those who have avoided compulsory military service during the country’s seven-year civil war, state media says.

Assad declares “a general amnesty from any penalties for military deserters inside and outside the country,” SANA reports.

Tens of thousands of Syrian soldiers have deserted since the start of the war in 2011, some of them joining rebel factions and others either hiding at home or escaping abroad.

A similar number is estimated to have avoided completing compulsory military service. The fear of being sent to the front line has kept many male Syrian refugees from returning to their home country.

— AFP