Iran grants amnesty to tens of thousands of prisoners

People gather for a solidarity demonstration for Iranian people following the death of Mahsa Amini, and to support those who lost their lives, those who were sentenced to death and imprisonment in the demonstrations that started, on December 21, 2022 in London, United Kingdom. [Raşid Necati Aslım – Anadolu Agency]

Iran has granted amnesty to 82,000 people, including 22,000 protesters, according to the head of the country’s judiciary on Monday. Addressing a meeting of the top judiciary council, Mohseni Ejei said that the pardons have been issued following a decree by Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, last month.

Of those granted an amnesty, 22,000 were convicted during recent unrest or pardoned before legal verdicts were announced against them, Ejei added. Of the 60,000 others, around 25,000 were either released from jail or had their prison sentences annulled. Another 34,000 detainees have had their sentences reduced.

The judiciary head explained that those accused of “violent crimes and thefts” have not been included in the general amnesty. At least a dozen protesters were sentenced to death; four have already been executed.

In early February, Ayatollah Khamenei agreed to a mass amnesty for tens of thousands of prisoners, including those arrested in the protests that rocked the country after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in police custody in mid-September last year. The move came in response to a proposal by Ejei that called for pardons and commutation of sentences for a “significant number” of convicts and suspects.

At least 200 people were killed in the unrest, according to Iranian officials. Western human rights groups, however, have put the toll at more than 500.

The amnesty didn’t include those convicted of spying for foreign agencies and affiliation with groups hostile to the Islamic Republic.

Ejei’s announcement came as Iran and the US are engaged in indirect negotiations over a prisoner swap, with a foreign ministry spokesman saying earlier on Monday that Tehran is “ready” for the deal. Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told state TV on Sunday that Iran has reached an agreement with the US to swap prisoners. His claim, however, was denied by the White House.

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