HTS militants disperse anti-Jolani protest in west Aleppo with gunfire

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
6 Mar 2024 00:41

The protesters believe an amnesty decision issued by al-Jolani's government ignores their demands.

Demonstrators rally in the town of Idlib in Syria's northwestern Idlib province on March 1, 2024, to protest against Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and call for the overthrow of the group's leader. (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP)

The so-called Rescue Government of the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) terrorist group has issued a general amnesty simultaneously with its militants dispersing a demonstration against the group's leader Abu Mohammad al-Jolani in western Aleppo.

The amnesty decision, issued by al-Jolani's government, includes pardoning the entire duration of imprisonment and flogging for those who have received judicial sentences, excluding those convicted of crimes such as murder, robbery, and kidnapping.

Activists considered that the amnesty ignores hundreds of detainees in al-Jolani's prisons who have not received judicial sentences, especially those detained under various pretexts, including collaborating with the US-led coalition.

The amnesty has not gained acceptance among protesters demanding the ousting of al-Jolani and the dissolution of his security apparatus, as new demonstrations erupted on the eve of the Rescue Government announcing the general amnesty.

Activists have shared footage of HTS militants opening fire on protesters taking part in a demonstration in the city of Darat Izza, west of Aleppo, pursuing them in the streets, and hurling insults toward them, which prompted further demonstrations in some villages in the Idlib countryside, the largest being in the center of Idlib, rejecting the amnesty decision and affirming the calls to oust al-Jolani.

Pro-HTS media reported that al-Jolani stated, during one of the meetings held Wednesday, that more decisions would be issued in the next couple of days, including the formation of a committee comprising the Shura Council in the Body, the Rescue Government, tribal leaders, and displaced persons, to consider the demands of the protesters, ignoring slogans raised by the demonstrators calling for his ousting and the dissolution of his security apparatus.