Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Tuesday granted pardons, reduction of sentences and commutation of prison terms for 715 convicts found guilty by various Iranian courts. The amnesty came in response to a request by Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Imam Mahdi (May God Hasten His Reappearance), the last Shia Imam who is the prophesied redeemer, reported the Leader’s official website. Article 110 of the Constitution grants the Leader the authority to pardon or reduce the sentences of convicts upon a recommendation from the head of the judiciary. Amoli Larijani had previously written a letter to Ayatollah Khamenei, pleading for pardoning, reducing and commuting sentences for 715 prisoners who were found eligible by the Judiciary Commission for Pardons and Remission—a request later approved by the Leader.
