Leader pardons, reduces sentences of 537 convicts

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has pardoned or commuted the sentences handed down to more than 500 convicts as Iranians, along with other Muslims in the world, prepare to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

According to Press TV, on Thursday, Ayatollah Khamenei responded positively to a letter from Iranian Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani requesting the Leader to pardon or reduce the sentences of 537 eligible inmates.

The inmates had been found guilty by public courts, the Islamic Revolution tribunals, the Judicial Organization of the Armed Forces and the State Discretionary Punishment Organization.

Eid al-Fitr, one of the most important religious holidays in Islam, celebrates the conclusion of the 29 or 30 days of dawn-to-sunset fasting during the entire month of Ramadan.

The occasion falls on the first day of the lunar calendar month of Shawwal, the start of which varies based on the sighting of the new moon by local religious authorities.

SS