Syria released Thursday 500 detainees who were arrested during the 15-month crisis and not involved in homicide acts.

Syria released Thursday 500 detainees who were arrested during the 15-month crisis and not involved in homicide acts, state-run SANA news agency reported.

Syria has released hundreds of people who were arrested due to the unrest. International envoy Kofi Annan has recently urged the country's President Bashar al-Assad to practice his power to release detainees.

According to SANA, , the authorities set free 250 detainees on May 16th whose hands are clear of the Syrian blood, in addition to 265 detainees who were released on May 5th.

On April 21st, 30 persons involved in the events were set free, preceded by 552 detainees who were released on January 5th.

The Syrian government is facing mounting international criticism over its alleged crackdown that killed more than 13,000 people during the long-time crisis, activists say.