King Mohammed VI pardoned 783 people on the occasion of the Independence Manifesto Day, celebrated on January 11, Justice Ministry said in a statement on Thursday. The detained beneficiaries of the pardon are 570 : 4 inmates benefited from the pardon over their remaining prison sentences, 552 prisoners had their prison terms reduced, 13 inmates' life sentences commuted to limited prison terms and one inmate had his death penalty commuted to life sentence. The free beneficiaries of the pardon are 213 : 56 prisoners benefited from pardon over their imprisonment term, 10 inmates benefited from pardon over their imprisonment terms while their fines were maintained, 4 inmates benefited from pardon over their prison terms and fines, 143 inmates had their fines annulled. Royal pardon is customary in Morocco to mark national and religious holidays.
