Syria released 48 ethnic Kurds from prison on Thursday, the same day that President Bashar al-Assad issued a decree granting Syrian citizenship to Kurds "registered as foreigners", DPA reported
Activists said the release of the Kurds, who had been imprisoned for over a year, came after a meeting between al-Assad and Kurdish leaders earlier this week, according to Lebanese state-radio.
The move follows weeks of anti-government protests, which included calls by Kurds for equal citizenship rights.