By Mohamad Misto
HAMA, Syria (AA) – Following a two-day riot, inmates of Hama’s central prison Wednesday reached a deal with prison officials, according to which a total of 200 prisoners will be released.
Sources inside the prison told Anadolu Agency that 34 inmates had already been released and handed over to the Syrian Red Crescent.
According to the same sources, who spoke anonymously due to fears of reprisal, rioting inmates were still holding five security personnel — including a brigadier general — whom they have vowed to release when the remaining 166 prisoners are freed.
The deal also states that five prisoners — whose planned execution initially triggered the riot — would be spared.
Hama’s central prison facility, which is operated by Syria’s Assad regime, currently houses an estimated 1,000 political prisoners.
On Monday, inmates refused to hand over five political prisoners for execution by the authorities. A riot ensued, to which security forces responded by besieging the facility and attacking rioting inmates with teargas.
Last year, inmates of the same prison staged a similar riot, citing mistreatment by the prison authorities. Security forces responded with teargas before eventually deescalating the situation.
