Eid Al Adha 2022: UAE leaders order release of more than 1,700 prisoners

Released inmates typically include those who have committed minor offences and financial crimes

President Sheikh Mohamed has ordered the release of 737 inmates before Eid Al Adha. Hamad Al Kaabi / Presidential Court ---

Some 1,780 prisoners across the emirates will be released after being pardoned ahead of Eid Al Adha.

On Tuesday, President Sheikh Mohamed ordered 737 inmates of various nationalities to go free in Abu Dhabi.

The ruling will give an opportunity to people who made a mistake to move on with their lives, state news agency Wam reported.

The Rulers of the emirates often free prisoners on religious occasions, of which Eid Al Adha is one of the most significant.

On Wednesday, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, ordered 505 inmates be released from prisons in the emirate.

Sheikh Dr Sultan Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, also ordered the release of 194 inmates.

And Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, Ruler of Ajman, approved the release of 93 prisoners, in keeping with the holiday period.

In Ras Al Khaimah, 251 inmates will be released ahead of Eid, by order of the emirate's ruler Sheikh Saud bin Saqr.

Sheikh Saud bin Rashid Al Mualla, Ruler of Umm Al Quwain, also ordered the release of several prisoners.

The freed prisoners typically include many who have committed minor offences and financial crimes, or who have shown good behaviour throughout their sentences.

Last year, more than 1,700 inmates were released before Eid Al Adha by the Rulers of the emirates.

Eid Al Adha starts in the UAE on Saturday. Employees will enjoy a long weekend with fireworks, parades and other events to mark the festivities.

Muslims prepare for Eid Al Adha — in pictures

People aboard ferries wait for the departure as they travel back home ahead of Eid Al Adha in Dhaka. AFP

A Kashmiri Muslim girl decorates her hands with henna at a market in Srinagar. EPA

Palestinians prepare ma'moul and kahk in the West Bank city of Nablus. EPA

A Muslim cloth seller arranges his wares on a pedestrian pavement in Bengaluru, India. Getty Images

Shopper stock up at Abu Dhabi Fruit and Vegetable Market at Zayed Port, ahead of Eid Al Adha. Victor Besa / The National

A woman sells traditional plaited coconut leaf pouches for ketupat rice cakes, ahead of Eid Al Adha in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. EPA

A vendor offers sweets to shoppers at his stall at Al Hamidiyah Souq in Damascus, Syria. AFP

Camels in enclosures at the market in the Erhaiya desert area of Kuwait. AFP

People crowd on to a train to return home for Eid Al Adha, at a railway station in Lahore, Pakistan. AFP

A vendor sells garlands for sacrificial animals near a livestock market in Dhaka, Bangladesh. EPA

Eid Al Adha decorations illuminate the Corniche in central Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

A stallholder sells soft toys ahead of Eid Al Adha, at a market in the West Bank city of Hebron. EPA

Ornaments for sacrificial animals on sale at a roadside stall in Peshawar, Pakistan, before the Muslim festival of Eid Al Adha. EPA

Knifesmiths in Gaza City sharpen blades to be used to slaughter animals for Eid Al Adha. AFP

A boy plays with goats at a livestock market in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen. AFP

A Palestinian stall-holder arranges sweets in the old city in Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Reuters

Goats being fed at a livestock market before Eid Al Adha in New Delhi, India. AP

A Palestinian girl selects a stuffed toy from a shop at a market in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP

People queue to buy train tickets at a railway station in Dhaka, Bangladesh, before the start of Eid Al Adha. AFP

A livestock vendor feeds a goat by the roadside while waiting for customers in New Delhi. AFP

Palestinians shop for toys before Eid Al Adha at a market in the West Bank city of Hebron. EPA

Pilgrims pray on Mount Al Noor, where Muslims believe the Prophet Mohammed received the first words of the Quran, in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Reuters

A man tends to his goats before the start of Eid Al Adha in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. AFP

Muslim pilgrims relax in Makkah. Saudi Arabia hosted about one million people, including 850,000 from abroad, during this year's Hajj. AFP

A vendor waits for customers at a livestock market on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan. AP

Pilgrims relax on Mount Al Noor in Makkah. Reuters

A child stands next to goats at a livestock market on the outskirts of the rebel-held town of Dana in Syria. AFP

An aerial view of the livestock market on the outskirts of Dana, Syria. AFP

Camels are transported in a lorry at a livestock market in Lahore. AFP

An ox reared on a fourth-storey rooftop in Karachi, Pakistan, is lowered by crane to be slaughtered during Eid Al Adha. AFP

Children play at a livestock market in Quetta, the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Balochistan. AFP

A camel is led to market before Eid Al Adha in Lahore, Pakistan. AP

A Pakistani livestock merchant displays camels for sale in Lahore. AP

Customers lead away camels bought at a market in Lahore. AFP

Camels for sale in Lahore before the Eid Al Adha festival. AFP

A farmer takes cattle to market as preparations begin for Eid Al Adha in Quetta, Pakistan. EPA

A Pakistani ironsmith sharpens knives for Eid Al Adha in Lahore. AP

A goat at Al Quoz Abattoir in Dubai. Reuters

A sacrificial cow at a cattle market in Peshawar, Pakistan. Reuters

A sacrificial goat in Peshawar. Reuters

A farmer sells sheep for Eid Al Adha at a market near the town of Maaret Misrin in northern Syria. AFP

An aerial view of the livestock market in Maaret Misrin. AFP

A cow goes to market in Gaza. EPA

Sacrificial animals for sale before Eid Al Adha in Peshawar. EPA

A crowded market in Giza, Egypt, as Muslims buy sacrificial animals for Eid Al Adha. EPA

Thousands of people flock to the market in Giza to buy an animal. EPA

Potential buyers examine some of the animals for sale. EPA

A Yemeni buys a sacrificial sheep at a market in Sanaa. EPA

A goat at a market in Sanaa, Yemen. EPA