UAE President pardons 540 prisoners ahead of Ramadan

President of the UAE Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has ordered the release of 540 prisoners ahead of the holy month of Ramadan.

The prisoners were serving various sentences in the UAE.

#UAEPresident pardons 540 prisoners ahead of #Ramadan #WamNews https://t.co/RadxFaf0F3 pic.twitter.com/tbcUMWfaji

— WAM English (@WAMNEWS_ENG) March 28, 2022

Sheikh Khalifa’s annual pardon aims to enhance family cohesion and offers released prisoners an opportunity to return to the righteous path, allowing them to lead a successful social and professional life, official news agency WAM reported.

Ramadan will begin on Saturday, April 2, 2022, according to Ibrahim Al Jarwan, chairman of the Board of Directors of the UAE-based Emirates Astronomical Society. The holy month in 1433 Hijri Year is expected to last for 30 days, and Eid Al Fitr will fall on Monday, May 2, 2022.

Read: Revealed: Dates for Ramadan and Eid Al Fitr 2022 in UAE

The official working hours for federal government employees during Ramadan are from 9am-2.30pm, Monday-Thursday, and from 9am-12pm on Fridays.

Read: Ramadan 2022: Working hours for federal government employees in UAE announced

Private sector employees, meanwhile, will be able to avail of a reduction of two hours daily during Ramadan.

Read more: Ramadan 2022: Private sector working hours announced in UAE