I missed this article in May 2016, so yes it is historical. Just why the four were in Syrian custody in 2011, as the civil war began, is not 100% clear (possibly two were rendered there by the USA). What is clear is their release had an impact:
If President Assad’s Sednaya amnesty was indeed a considered plan to subvert the revolution, it worked.
Link:http://s.telegraph.co.uk/graphics/pr...mic/index.html