Syria releases longest serving political prisoner

Syria has freed its longest serving political prisoner who has been jailed for almost three decades for being an active member of a banned communist grouping, rights activists said on Wednesday.
Imad Sheeha of the banned Arab Communist Organisation was released earlier this week after spending 29 years in prison, they said. Sheeha and the group he belonged to were accused of carrying out and planning bombings against bodies linked to US businesses and concerns, sources familiar with the case said.
The Human Rights Association of Syria welcomed the release of Sheeha in a statement that urged the "authorities to release all political prisoners...and to put an end to the chapter of opinion and conscience arrests for ever".
Sheeha's release comes under a presidential amnesty issued last month that stipulates releasing a total of 257 prisoners including many Islamists, activists said.