Supreme Leader Pardons Hundreds of Iranian Convicts
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei pardoned or commuted prison terms of a large number of convicts found guilty by various Iranian courts.
Ayatollah Khamenei on Saturday granted amnesty for 878 convicts on the occasion of the birth anniversaries of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the sixth Shiite Imam, Imam Ja'far Sadeq.
The pardon was granted at the request of Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani.
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.
The 17th day of the lunar Islamic month of Rabi-ul-Awwal marks the birth anniversaries of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and Imam Ja'far Sadeq (PBUH).
