Qatar’s Emir has pardoned a number of prisoners today as part of an annual Ramadan tradition, QNA reports.

Official figures have yet to be released, but many of the pardoned prisoners typically hail from nations that have a lot of nationals here, including India, Nepal, Bangladesh and the Philippines.

Following his visit to Qatar this week, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted:

A special gesture to mark the start of a special month…the Government of Qatar releases 23 prisoners, who will return home to India.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 6, 2016

Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani typically pardons inmates twice a year, including National Day on Dec. 18.

Those who are freed have usually already served a significant portion of their jail terms, according to embassy officials.

The pardons are seen as a sign of goodwill toward Qatar’s large expat population, they add.

More information about those who are pardoned will be sent to embassies in the coming weeks.

But in previous years, nearly 100 people were pardoned during Ramadan for crimes related to theft, possession of drugs and fraud, among other crimes.

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More Ramadan coverage:

https://dohanews.co/ramadan