Leader Pardons over 900 Iranian Prisoners
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei on Thursday pardoned or commuted prison terms of 930 convicts found guilty by various Iranian courts.
The pardon was granted at the request of the country's Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, a great Muslim festival which marks the end of fasting month of Ramadan.
Article 110 of the Constitution grants the Supreme Leader the right to pardon or reduce the sentences of convicts upon a recommendation from the head of the Judiciary.
The clemency, however, does not apply to all types of convicts, including those who have been sentenced for their role in armed struggle against the country, armed or organized drug trafficking, rape, armed robbery, arms smuggling, abduction, bribery and embezzlement.
Eid al-Fitr, also called Feast of Breaking the Fast, is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide. The religious festival is a day that Muslims are not permitted to fast on that specific day.
The holiday celebrates the conclusion of the 29 or 30 days of dawn-to-sunset fasting during the entire month of Ramadan. The day of Eid, therefore, falls on the first day of the month of Shawwal.
