Syrian officials have released dozens of prisoners jailed in recent weeks and decreased security barriers in Maadamiya, a southern suburb of Damascus, apparently in an effort to defuse further anti-government protests, witnesses said Wednesday.
Many security barriers were removed, allowing people in Maadamiya to go out, buy basic groceries, and visit families in nearby towns.
"Dozens of people, arrested in the past few weeks, were released, and no more suspects will be detained," one resident told the German Press Agency dpa.
Residents in Maadamiya, around 17 kilometres south of the capital, said this move by authorities aims at calming people and denying them reasons to protests on Friday.
The move comes amid talks with local influential elders of various cities, residents said, in order to quell protests planned for Friday.
Security forces have been heavily deployed in Damascus and in surrounding towns, including Maadamiya, as anti-government protests have swelled in recent weeks.
He said the army "has gradually begun to loosen its siege of the area since morning" after officials held long meetings with city elders in the early hours of the day.
"The deal aims at calming people in the area in the coming days," he added.
Pro-democracy activists are gearing up for massive rallies on Friday, like they have done over the past six weeks.
Protesters have taken to the streets to demand greater freedoms and, increasingly, the ouster of President al-Assad and his Baath Party, which has ruled the country for almost 50 years.
The talks come ahead of a meeting at the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday to discuss Syria's crackdown on protesters.
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay are also calling for an independent and effective investigation of hundreds of civilian deaths in Syria.
International condemnation of the government's use of violence against peaceful protesters grew, after human rights advocates said security forces have killed an estimated 400 people since the unrest began.
Britain urged Syria to opt for reform instead of repression or face punitive measures, including sanctions. The German government has summoned the Syrian ambassador in Berlin to protest the violence.
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