The Supreme Court announced on Saturday that more than 2,400 prisoners have been released in honor of Eid al-Fitr.

Abdul Rahim Rashid, spokesperson for the Supreme Court, stated that the release was carried out under a decree from the leader of the Islamic Emirate. He added that sentences for over 3,000 additional prisoners have also been reduced.

Rashid further explained: “A total of 5,615 inmates across the country have either been released or had their sentences reduced.”

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that, following efforts by the Afghan Embassy in the United Arab Emirates, an agreement has been reached under which 54 Afghan nationals will be released from various prisons in the UAE.

The ministry praised the agreement, made during the final days of Ramadan, as a reflection of the friendly relations between Kabul and Abu Dhabi.

Zalmai Afghanyar, a political analyst, told TOLOnews: “In the past three and a half years, the current government of Afghanistan has taken positive steps toward protecting the civil rights of its citizens, whether through securing the country’s borders, extraditing criminals from neighboring and distant countries, or facilitating the return of Afghan detainees from the UAE—this is a positive move.”

It is customary in Afghanistan for the leader of the Islamic Emirate to issue a decree of pardon or sentence reduction for prisoners nationwide on the occasion of Eid.