Moroccan King Mohammed VI on Sunday granted pardon for 5,654 prisoners, the Ministry of Justice said in a statement, Trend reports citing Xinhua.
Orders were given to strengthen the protection of the detainees in prisons, particularly against the spread of the coronavirus epidemic, it added.
The prisoners who were granted the pardon were selected on the basis of human and strictly objective criteria, which take into account of their age, health condition, the length of detention, as well as good conduct they have shown throughout their incarceration, the statement added.
The beneficiaries of the pardon will be under surveillance, and undergo medical test and the necessary quarantine, at their home, to safeguard their security.
The amnesty comes when Morocco is witnessing a rise in cases of COVID-19 which claimed so far 66 deaths and infected some 960 people.