BEIRUT — Syria’s president today ordered the release of hundreds of detainees involved in a month of protests seeking to wrest political freedoms from one of the Middle East’s most repressive governments.

The order, announced by state TV, signaled an attempt by President Bashar Assad to calm weeks of growing protest anger and preempt what is expected to be another day of large demonstrations on Friday.

Protests erupted in Syria a month ago and have steadily increased, with tens of thousands calling for sweeping political reforms from Assad’s authoritarian regime. More than 200 people have been killed during in the government’s crackdown, according to Syria’s leading pro-democracy group.

The state TV announcement did not say how many protesters would be released or how many authorities were holding.

It said the release order did not apply to those involved in “criminal acts” but that most of those taken into custody would be freed.