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.

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.