UAE pardons 873 inmates ahead of Ramadan

The UAE has announced the release of 873 prisoners, pardoned by UAE President HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan to coincide with Ramadan.

The President also said he would settle the debts of the inmates, Dubai Media Office said via its official Twitter page on Monday. 

Dubai Media Office did not confirm the nationality of the prisoners or why they had been in jail.

Every year hundreds of prisoners in the UAE are released as a gesture of goodwill during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Pardons are granted for humanitarian reasons, but other factors such as good behaviour and length of jail sentence served are also taken into consideration.

Clemencies are also granted on other occasions such as Eid al Fitr, Eid al Adha and UAE National Day.

Over 1,000 inmates were pardoned from Dubai jails in 2011 compared to 973 in 2010 and 1,053 in 2009, the Humanitarian Aid section at the Department of Punitive and Reformative Establishments said in May.

The Humanitarian Aid department said it settled unpaid debts of prisoners totaling AED111,769 (US$30,430) in 2010 and AED322,231 in 2009.