Monday 29 March 2021
On the occasion of a public holiday
Khamenei pardons 1,800 prisoners in Iran
Iran’s chief spiritual leader Khamenei is lifting or reducing sentences for more than 1,800 people. Amnesties on the occasion of upcoming religious or national holidays are not uncommon in the country – however, it is rare from which group Khamenei also pardons prisoners this time.
In Iran, the supreme spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei pardoned more than 1,800 prisoners or reduced their sentences. According to Misan Online, the official news site of the Iranian judiciary, these included a hundred prisoners who had been convicted of “crimes against state security” in the course of the November 2019 protests. The pardons and prison relief were issued on the occasion of a major Shiite holiday.
Every year, Khamenei grants several collective pardons on the occasion of religious or national holidays at the suggestion of the head of the judicial authority. However, it is rare for Tehran to issue pardons for political prisoners.
The nationwide protests in Iran in mid-November 2019 were sparked by the fact that the authorities more than doubled fuel prices overnight. The security forces violently suppressed the protests. Exact numbers of victims are not available, different estimates range from 230 to more than a thousand deaths.
According to the United Nations, there were also mass arrests. To date, it is not known how many people are still being held in Iran in connection with the protests.
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