Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in February approved pardoning and commuting the sentences of “tens of thousands” of prisoners, in celebration of the 44th anniversary of the Islamic revolution in Iran. Monday’s figures refer to the cumulative number of people that have been included in the amnesty since.
Iran’s judiciary chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei said that a total of 82,656 people have been pardoned including 22,628 detained during the Amini protests, which he referred to as “riots”, adding that some of those included in the amnesty were convicted, while some others were in the process of going through the court but received pardons.
The sentences of an additional 34,000 people have been commuted, according to Ejei.
Iran often issues pardons to prisoners around the time of national and religious holidays, in accordance with Article 110 of Iran’s constitution.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its paramilitary, Basij, led a violent crackdown on nationwide protests sparked by the death of Amini while in the custody of the morality police last September. At least 530 protesters were killed during the demonstrations, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).
Iran has been subjected to heavy criticism from the international community and rights groups for human rights violations and abuses in prisons, raising concerns about poor conditions, abuse of prisoners, and use of torture in the country’s penal system.
