KABUL, June 5 (Xinhua) -- In a gesture of clemency and goodwill on the eve of the Eid al-Adha festival, Afghanistan has released a total of 1,559 inmates and reduced the sentences of 950 others, the country's Supreme Court announced on Wednesday.
According to the Supreme Court, the order was issued by Chief Justice and Head of the Supreme Court Sheikh Abdul Hakim Haqqani as part of a nationwide initiative to mark the occasion of Eid al-Adha with acts of compassion and forgiveness.
The prisoners were pardoned and released from facilities across the provinces of Kabul, Nangarhar, Laghman, Panjshir, Parwan, Paktia, Khost, and Nimroz, it said.
Currently, between 12,000 and 14,000 Afghan citizens, including women and children, are incarcerated across the country, according to an official from the prison administration.
Eid al-Adha, the largest annual religious festival in Afghanistan, will be celebrated from Saturday to Tuesday. ■
