Iranian religious leader to pardon 10,000 prisoners
Iran announced that 10,000 prisoners who have been released as a precautionary measure to contain the spreading of the coronavirus will be pardoned on Newroz.
Religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will pardon 10,000 prisoners, said judicial spokesperson Gulamhussey Esmaili according to Iran's state television. These will include political prisoners who have been sentenced to less than 5 years in prison.
Stating that this is the most important amnesty for political prisoners in the country so far, Esmaili said that those who have been temporarily released because of the spread of the new coronavirus Covid-19 will not return to prisons.
The Iranian regime had temporarily released around 85,000 prisoners in the past days in response to the Covid-19 emergency.
According to a report by the United Nations (UN), there are 189,500 people in prisons in Iran.
