Rabat: King Mohammed VI has granted royal pardons to 19,673 individuals on the occasion of Throne Day, marking the 26th anniversary of his accession to the throne.

According to Ghana News Agency, a statement from the Justice Ministry revealed that 2,415 people received standard pardons while an additional 17,258 convicts benefited from exceptional clemency measures. Among those pardoned through the standard process, 2,239 are currently in detention. This includes 16 inmates who received pardons for their remaining prison terms, 2,218 who had their sentences reduced, and five who had life sentences commuted to fixed terms.

The royal pardon also extends to 176 individuals who are not in custody. This group includes 40 people who received full pardons or had remaining sentences canceled, 12 who had prison terms forgiven while maintaining fines, and 111 who were pardoned from fines only. Another 12 individuals had both prison sentences and fines forgiven, while one person received a pardon for their fine and remaining prison term.

The exceptional clemency initiative involved carefully selected criteria to extend humanitarian relief to a broader group of convicts. The clemency and Royal Magnanimity towards the prisoners and their families was marked on this occasion by the granting of an exceptional pardon to 17,258 convicts. Additionally, 114 prisoners had life sentences reduced to fixed terms, and 23 death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment.

The announcement comes as Morocco marks 26 years of King Mohammed VI’s reform-driven reign. This year’s Throne Day is a memorable one in Morocco’s history of Royal Grace, distinguished by its scale, symbolic significance, and humanism. It reflects the Royal Highness’s concern for all those in difficult or vulnerable situations, aiming to alleviate the harm caused by prison overcrowding, improve incarceration conditions, ensure security within penitentiary institutions, and achieve the social reintegration of its inmates.