A Syrian human rights activist says authorities have released 70 political prisoners.

Abdul-Karim Rihawi, who heads the Syrian Human Rights League, says most of those released on Saturday, March 26, had been imprisoned at Saidnaya prison in a Damascus suburb where political detainees are usually kept. He says no further details were immediately available, AP reports.

Syria has released groups of detainees in the past week in an effort to appease protesters and contain the fallout from a deadly crackdown on demonstrations that have gripped the country for a week.

Authorities have reportedly detained dozens of others during the violence.