Iran pardons over 5,000 prisoners

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has granted clemency to more than 5,000 prisoners to mark a Shiite religious holiday, a statement on his official website said Saturday.

The statement gave no details of the identity of the 5,156 prisoners who were pardoned or had their sentences reduced.

Clemency was granted to mark last Tuesday’s anniversary of the birth of Imam Reza, one of Shiite Islam’s most revered figures.

His birth anniversary is one of several religious holidays when the supreme leader grants clemency to prisoners each year.

(AFP)