Iranian supreme leader pardons over 3,400 prisoners

Tehran: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has pardoned 3,458 prisoners, the state IRNA news agency reported on Saturday.

The amnesty is timed to coincide with the anniversaries of the birth of the Prophet Muhammad and the Sixth Imam, Jafar al-Sadiq, and has been suggested by the head of the Iranian judicial system.

The practice of granting amnesty in Iran is quite common and is usually tied to religious holidays and significant events.