Authorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region have cut the jail term of 11 criminals who were found guilty of endangering national security, including some former terrorists.

Seven people who were sentenced to life imprisonment have their punishment cut down to fixed jail terms, while another four were granted a reduction of six months. One person has been released following the abatement, local media ts.cn reported Tuesday.

The decision was made based on a recommendation from Xinjiang Party chief Zhang Chunxian, who said in a statement Monday that the government has always paid attention to criminals and hoped they could reform and move to a new life as early as possible, said the report.

Zhang said that those whose sentences were commuted were deluded by religious extremism, but they have since sincerely turned around and won approval for their good behavior. The Party and government believe that as long as they get rid of their extremist thoughts, the door to hope is always open to them, he added.

The report said that among the 11 criminals, some were the prime culprits of separatist groups and some were former leaders of terror organizations. One of the criminals had previously received training at a terrorist camp in Afghanistan and allegedly had contact with Al Qaeda.