By Msnbc.com wires services
Reuters is reporting that Syrian President Bashar Assad has granted a general amnesty for crimes committed since the outbreak of a 10-month uprising against his rule, the state news agency SANA reported on Sunday.
SANA said the amnesty would cover "crimes committed in the context of the events that occurred from March 15, 2011, until January 15, 2012." It gave no further details.
It also applies to army deserters who fled military service if they turn themselves in before Jan. 31.
It was not clear how many prisoners would be affected by Sunday's pardon.
Arab League chief warns of civil war in Syria
Since the outbreak of the uprising against Assad's rule in March, Assad has freed 3,952 prisoners, according to SANA.
The opposition claims there are thousands more in Syrian prisons.
Also on Sunday, U.N. Secretary General demanded Sunday that Assad stop killing his own people, and said the "old order" of one-man rule and family dynasties is over in the Middle East.
In a keynote address at a conference on democracy in the Arab world, Ban Ki-moon said the revolutions of the Arab Spring show that people will no longer accept tyranny.
"Today, I say again to President (Bashar) Assad of Syria: Stop the violence. Stop killing your people," Ban said during the conference in Beirut.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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