The FARC, which was founded in 1964, is the largest of two leftist guerrilla groups in Colombia, and has an estimated 7,000 fighters.
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It said none of the prisoners had been sentenced for major crimes. The prisoners will be out by the end of the year, it said.
The pardons are part of a package of “four gestures” aimed at building confidence between Bogotá and the FARC, which had been adversaries in the longest-running civil war in Latin American history, El Colombiano reported.
The decision follows statements by FARC spokesperson Ricardo Tellez, who accused the Colombian government of ignoring the existence of political prisoners in Colombia.
Besides the pardons, the government said teams of health workers would be checking the physical condition of 106 other imprisoned FARC rebels, and prepare special holding facilities for other FARC inmates with an eye to preparing them for re-integration to civilian life.
It said none of those being pardoned were in prison for serious crimes, and added that they will be helped in finding jobs and receiving social support once they leave prison.
The guerrillas and the Colombian government, who launched a peace process in November 2012 in Havana, are now discussing the two final points of the peace accord which deal with the victims of the conflict and the disarmament and demobilization of the rebels.
It was highlighted in the BBC report that among the important things discussed in the peace talks was the agreement not to recruit children under 17 years old.
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The office of Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos released a statement on Sunday confirming that 30 FARC members had been set free.
