TEHRAN — Some 380 billion rials (nearly $11 million) has been collected so far to free inmates committed involuntary crimes over 196 charity fundraising ceremonies held nationwide in the holy month of Ramadan (June 7 to July 6, 2016).

Although about 288 ceremonies were held over the same period the amount of money is only pertaining to 196 of them.

The money will be used to set free 1,130 prisoners especially old, breadwinner, or female inmates who owe a total of 980 billion rials (nearly $28 million), Mehr news agency reported.

Provinces of Isfahan, Khuzestan, Fars, East Azarbaijan, Sistan-Baluchestan, with contributions worth of 76 billion rials ($2.2 million), 74 billion rials ($2.1 million), 33 billion rials ($943,000), 22 billion rials ($628,000), 21 billion rials ($600,000) respectively hold the record for the highest amount of benefaction made over the aforesaid period.

Khuzestan and Bushehr provinces by holding 26 joint charity ceremonies, and Sistan-Baluchestan, Kerman and Ardebil provinces each with 18 ceremonies are the cities with the largest number of the charity events.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, President Hassan Rouhani, Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani and Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani also made 3-billion-rial ($85,700), 2.5-billion-rial ($71,400), 500-milion-rial ($14,200), and 500-million-rial ($14,200) contributions respectively.

Additionally, since the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan a specific dial code, *780*7777#, which can be simply dialed on cellphones has been the easiest way of contributing to the good deed.

Some 30,027 benefactors made their contributions using this dial code during the month of Ramadan and Yazd province have made the largest amount of donation nationwide using this method. 

Although there is a 2-million-rial (nearly $57) limit to how much one can donate using this dial code some 3.7 billion rials (nearly $105,000) was collected over the same period.

Furthermore, last year during the same month 1080 prisoners were set free using the contributions made over 263 charity fundraising ceremonies.

MQ/MG