SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region – Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has agreed to grant amnesty to “a large number of prisoners,” according to Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
On the 44th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the country’s Judiciary Chief, Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei, submitted a request for clemency for certain inmates to the Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In his proposal, the head of the Judiciary stated that several convicts who were imprisoned in the wake of recent protests in Iran were “misled into committing crimes due to the enemy’s propaganda.”
The top judge added that a significant number of these prisoners now “regret their actions and have requested forgiveness,” following the revelation of “foreign enemies” and “anti-revolutionary movements.”
As stated in Article 110 of the Iranian Constitution, the Leader has the authority to grant pardons or reduce sentences for convicted prisoners based on a recommendation from the head of the Judiciary.
The amnesty applies to convicts who are not accused of espionage for foreign entities, having direct connections to foreign intelligence services, murder or intentional harm, damaging or setting fire to government, military, or public facilities, or being involved in a lawsuit filed by a private individual.
However, the clemency does not extend to certain categories of convicts, such as those convicted for involvement in armed drug smuggling, arms trafficking, kidnapping, acid attacks, rape, armed robbery, bribery, embezzlement, forging counterfeit money, money laundering, disrupting the economy, smuggling of alcoholic beverages, and organized smuggling of goods.
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These events have attracted international attention and sparked discussions about the state of human rights and civil liberties in the country. Thousands of people have been arrested so far, according to human rights organizations, as the situation remains tense and uncertain.
According to the Iran Human Rights Organization (IHRNGO), a total of 488 people, including 64 children and 39 women, have been killed since the protests began nationwide.
