Ayatollah Khamenei granted amnesty for the convicts on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
Eid al-Fitr will be celebrated in Iran on Friday.
The pardon was made at the request of Iran’s 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 amnesty 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 Eid is a day that Muslims are not permitted to fast that 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.