Some 23,000 Iranian Inmates Freed under Amnesty: Official
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Head of Iran’s State Prisons and Security and Corrective Measures Organization said 22,700 Iranian prisoners have been released under recent clemency granted by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution’s victory.
In comments on Tuesday, Ali Asghar Jahangir said 22,700 inmates have been released from prison across the country and the prison sentences of 13,400 other convicts have been commuted.
He noted that other prisoners to whom the Leader’s amnesty applies will be freed from jail within the next few days.
Of those released under the clemency, 606 were women, Jahangir added.
On February 7, Ayatollah Khamenei approved a proposal to grant an amnesty to a large number of Iranian prisoners on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of victory of the Islamic Revolution.
Article 110 of the Constitution grants the Leader the right to pardon or reduce the sentences of convicts upon a recommendation from the head of the Judiciary.
The new clemency applies to a large population of inmates, including those sentenced to life in prison who have remained behind bars for at least 15 years for men and at least 12 years for women.
The clemency, however, does not apply to certain types of convicts, including those who have been sentenced for their role in the armed smuggling of narcotics, arms trafficking, kidnapping, acid attacks, rape, armed robbery, bribery, embezzlement, counterfeit money forgery, money laundering, disruption of economy, smuggling of alcoholic drinks, and organized smuggling of commodities.