Iran to pardon, commute terms for over a thousand convicts

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran’s supreme leader will pardon or reduce prison sentences of over a thousand convicts in a gesture marking the celebration of the Muslim holiday, his website said on Saturday.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “has approved of a pardon or reduction in sentence for 1,542 people” in celebration of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, read the statement. 

Every year on important religious and national holidays, Khamenei pardons a number of prisoners at the request of the head of the judiciary. Article 110 in Iran’s constitution grants the Supreme Leader many leadership and duty powers, as well as “pardoning or reducing the sentences of convicts, within the framework of Islamic criteria.” 

Eid al-Fitr celebrations follow the end of Ramadan, which lasts 29 or 30 days based on when the crescent moon is sighted. Countries that marked the beginning of the holy month on April 2 will celebrate Eid on Monday.

Khamenei announced on Sunday evening that Eid al-Fitr will begin on Tuesday.

Iran is often criticized for committing rights violations and abuses in prisons with human rights monitors frequently raising concerns about poor conditions, abuse of prisoners, and use of torture in Iran’s penal system.

Earlier in April, Amnesty International accused Iranian authorities of deliberately withholding life-saving medications from fatally ill prisoners. 

On April 10, Tehran submitted its midterm report to the United Nations on the country’s human rights situation, citing “huge progress” despite recent violations.

Updated at 11.20 pm with Khamenei's Eid al-Fitr announcement