Iranian authorities have pardoned 22,000 alleged participants in months-long anti-government protests as part of a sweeping amnesty. It is not known how many protesters remain in custody.
“So far, 82,000 people have been pardoned, including 22,000 people who participated in the protests,” announced the head of Iran’s judiciary, Golam Husein Mohseni Ežeji, who did not explain when the pardons were granted and if or when the pardoned were accused.
Protests broke out in Iran last September after 22-year-old Kurd Mahsa Amini died in police custody. The Iranian authorities have received criticism from both the domestic and international public for their violent suppression of the protests.
The European Union and some other Western countries have also imposed sanctions against Tehran, which include both individuals and legal entities. According to the estimates of some foreign human rights organizations, more than 500 people were killed during the protests.
Iran’s state media reported on the alleged pardons early last month, when Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reportedly pardoned tens of thousands of prisoners, including those jailed during anti-government protests on security-related charges. These claims and figures cannot otherwise be verified.
The move is said to have come in light of the 44th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, which Iranian state media also reported last week. This amnesty would otherwise not concern prisoners accused of spying for foreign agencies, nor those who committed murder or damaged or destroyed state and military facilities.
Source: Rtvslo
