Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh has pardoned 1,285 common criminals and ordered their release from jail to mark Eid al-Fitr, which ends the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. They include many that were kept in prison because they could not afford to pay fines.
In addition, President Saleh instructed his government to implement the recommendations of a commission of inquiry into the state of the country's prisons, SABA news agency said.
The commission's report calls for separating prisoners serving long sentences from others and for improving detention conditions for women and young offenders. (Albawaba.com)
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