Iranian Official: Number of Prisoners Freed under Amnesty Hits 51,000
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An official said 51,000 Iranian prisoners have so far been released under the recent clemency granted by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution’s victory.
Speaking to Tasnim, Head of Iran’s State Prisons and Security and Corrective Measures Organization Ali Asghar Jahangir said 51,000 inmates have been released from prisons across the country and the prison sentences of 34,000 other convicts have been commuted as of Friday night.
He also noted that the Leader’s amnesty has applied to 1,110 foreign nationals, including 33 women.
Jahangir further emphasized that none of those exempted from the amnesty have been released from jail to ensure that dangerous convicts would not upset security in the society.
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 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.