Syria releases detained intellectuals

Syrian human rights activists say Damascus has freed all intellectuals and artists detained during an anti-government protest rally earlier this week.

“The Syrian authorities on Saturday freed all the intellectuals and artists who were arrested on Thursday for protesting against the regime,” AFP quoted Abdel Karim Rihawi, who heads the Syrian League for the Defense of Human Rights, as saying.

Meanwhile, state news agency SANA reported that terrorist groups killed two security personnel in an eastern border town.

Reports from the nearby city of Dayr al-Zawr also say that armed groups have torched several public sites and stolen weapons from the directorate building.

Syria has been grappling with months of unrest that has left hundreds of people dead so far.

Rights activists hold the government responsible for the deaths. Damascus, however, blames the bloodshed on armed gangs backed by foreign powers, arguing that many Syrian police and army forces have, too, been gunned down.

Syrian state TV has broadcast reports and images of seizing cache of weapons and confessions by elements detailing how they obtained arms from foreign sources.

President Bashar al-Assad ordered a general amnesty in May for all political prisoners, with rights activists in Syria confirming the release of hundreds of detainees.

In June, he offered a national dialogue to end the unrest in the country, calling on authorities, intellectuals and political personalities to join a discussion of amendments to the country’s constitution.

The amnesties and dialogue offer came after apparent efforts by foreign-backed armed gangs to incite unrest and terror in Syria by shooting at police as well as targeting protesters in scattered rallies around the country.