TEHRAN (Tasnim) � Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei pardoned or commuted the sentences of more than 700 eligible Iranian convicts.

Imam Khamenei on Saturday pardoned or commuted sentences of 705 prisoners found guilty by various Iranian courts.

The pardon was granted at the request of the country�s Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Imam Reza (PBUH), the eighth Shiite Imam whose shrine is in Iran.

Iran�s Constitution grants the Leader the right to pardon, reduce or replace the sentences of convicts upon a recommendation from the Judiciary chief.

The clemency, however, does not apply to several types of convicts, including those who have been sentenced for their role in armed struggle against the country, armed or organized drug trafficking, rape, armed robbery, arms smuggling, abduction, bribery and embezzlement.

By Tasnim News Agency