President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, has ordered the release of 855 inmates serving various sentences, on the annual Muslim celebration of Eid Al-Adha.

The move comes as part of the UAE’s: “Humanitarian initiatives based on the values of forgiveness and tolerance,” according to a royal statement. It added that the pardon was also aimed at: “Offering the inmates a second chance in life.”

Every year ahead of Eid Al-Adha, Al-Nahyan carries out this pardon: “To strengthen family ties and bring happiness and pleasure to the hearts of mothers and children and give the released prisoners the opportunity to rethink their future and return to the track of successful social and professional life.”