On the occasion of the 44e anniversary of the Islamic Revolution of February 1979, the Supreme Leader of the Iranian Revolution, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has decided to accede to the request of Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, the head of the Iranian judicial system, and to pardon thousands of detained. Ayatollah Khamenei regularly grants collective pardons during major religious or national holidays, in accordance with justice. This announcement comes two days after the release on bail, after seven months of detention of Iranian director Jafar Panahi.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “agreed to pardon and reduce the sentence of a significant number of defendants in connection with recent incidents or having been convicted” in other matters, announce the press release published on Mr. Khamenei’s website.
In a letter addressed to Ali Khamenei, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei justified his request for pardon by the fact that, according to him, “many people, especially young people, have committed evil deeds and crimes due to the enemy’s indoctrination and propaganda”. “The plans of foreign enemies and counter-revolutionary currents having failed, many of these young people regret their actions”adds the head of the judiciary, while the intensity of the demonstrations has decreased sharply.
According to the Iranian human rights activists’ Hrana news agency, some 20,000 people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the protest movement sparked by the death on September 16, 2022, of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian Kurd. 22 years old. More than 500 people were killed, including 70 minors, according to human rights NGOs.
The press release does not specify the number of people affected by this measure. ” Dozens of thousands “ detainees are likely to benefit, according to media reports. Dual nationals and people sentenced for “corruption on earth”a charge punishable by capital punishment for which four protesters have already been executed, will not be affected, according to the agency IRNA.
Detainees prosecuted for “espionage for the benefit of foreign agencies”for having been in direct contact with foreign agents or for having committed murder or caused intentional injuries, destruction or burning of public property, will not benefit more from the measure of grace, adds state television.
For its part, the judicial authority announced on its website Mizan Online News Agency that individuals arrested in connection with the protest movement will only be released if they sign a “statement of remorse and a written undertaking not to repeat a similar intentional crime”.
Arrest and conviction of journalists
In addition, the head of the society service of the daily Ham MihanElnaz Mohammadi, “was arrested on Sunday in Tehran after being summoned”revealed the reformist newspaper Shargh on its site, without further details. Mme Mohammadi is the sister of Ham Mihan’s journalist, Elaheh, detained since September in Evin prison in Tehran. The Judicial Authority charged Elaheh Mohammadi in November with “propaganda against the system” And “conspiracy against national security” for covering the Mahsa Amini case.
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Justice has also sentenced journalist Hossein Yazdi to one year in prison, imprisoned since December 5 in Isfahan (center), revealed Shargh. Mr Yazdi was the director of the political news site Mobile 24 based in this city.
The Tehran Journalists Association announced in early January that more than 30 Iranian journalists were still imprisoned in connection with the protests. At the end of October, more than three hundred Iranian journalists and photojournalists had criticized the authorities in an open letter for having ” stopped [leurs] colleagues and for [les] to have deprived of [leurs] rights »in particular the” access to [leurs] lawyers ».