Iran’s supreme leader has concluded plans to pardon or commute the jail sentences on fewer than 1,542 convicted prisoners in a gesture marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, Africa Today News, New York can confirm.
According to information made available on its website, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ‘agreed to pardon or commute the sentences of 1,542 convicts’ for the Eid al-Fitr holiday that marks the end of the holy month, it submitted.
Africa Today News, New York reports that the supreme leader routinely grants collective pardons on major religious holidays, in coordination with the head of the judiciary.
Meanwhile, Eid al-Fitr is expected to commence on Monday in Iran.
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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.
In a related development, Saudi Arabia Supreme Court and the moon sighting committees in the UAE, Qatar and other Arab states have already announced that Muslims in these countries will celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr on Monday May 2, 2022 and since the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and European countries rely on moon announcement by Saudi Arabia Royal Court, Muslims there will also mark Eid celebrations with the Gulf states.
Given that Muslims across India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and other South Asian countries are gearing up to look for the Shawwal crescent – the new moon to mark the end of Ramadan, tomorrow i.e. May 1, there might be a rarest of rare case that the followers of Islam may get a chance to celebrate this year’s Eid-ul Fitr with their Muslim brethren in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, UK, USA and other Gulf and western countries, if moon is sighted tomorrow in South Asian countries.
Africa Today News, New York