The amnesty of 600 political prisoners marked the 30th anniversary of the revolution that brought to power Mr. Assad's late father, Hafez al-Assad, state-run newspapers reported.
"Prisoners" marks writer Aaron Guzikowski's second feature, following last year's "Contraband," starring Mark Wahlberg and Kate Beckinsale.
Washington considers 88 of some 650 prisoners marked for release a serious threat to security, saying they are responsible for wounding or killing 57 Afghans and 60 U.S. and coalition troops.
But what artist Cameron Rowland points out with his latest body of found object sculptures recently shown at Artists Space, entitled 91020000, is that the prisoners' marks on society are ever present in our daily lives.
The cosmetic surgery on view varied from perma-surprise to Bride of Wildenstein, and the handbags were equally arresting: I met a fashion journalist friend who was noting Hermès bags in his notebook like a prisoner marking off the days before release.
Strip them, leave them bare, open to the world, our roaming eyes, our mockery, Replace the uniqueness of clothing with the rags of prisoners that mark them as the same.
In the Egyptian press, the state-run daily, al-Akhbar, frames the release as being part of many others, reporting on "the release of 312 prisoners to mark the revolution anniversary and Police Day and the release of Australian journalist".
Police in the Czech Republic were recently criticized for marking migrants with numbers in permanent marker; human-rights groups said that the practice was reminiscent of how prisoners were marked in Nazi concentration camps.
Soon-to-be-prisoners would mark themselves with warnings of their crimes.
Each evening's menu is numbered with the day of service, the way a prisoner might mark the day of his sentence.
