Tehran: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has pardoned more than 2,800 jailed convicts for observing two Muslim religious holidays. His website gave this information on Saturday.
The statement did not elaborate on the identities of the 2,825 prisoners who were either pardoned or served their sentences.
The clemency was granted to mark Eid al-Adha celebrated in Iran on 21 July and Eid al-Ghadir on Thursday.
Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of the Sacrifice, is one of the biggest celebrations on the Muslim calendar, and Eid al-Ghadir is an important Shia religious holiday.
In June, Khamenei made the same decision for more than 5,000 prisoners to mark the birth of one of Shia Islam’s most respected figures, Imam Reza.
Iran’s supreme leader grants pardons to prisoners several times each year on religious or national holidays after being proposed by the head of the judiciary authority.