The pardon was granted at the request of the country’s Judiciary Chief Ebrahim Raisi on the occasion of Eid al-Mab’ath -the anniversary of the day Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was chosen as God’s messenger- the Muslim festive days of Rajab, and the Nowruz festival.
In his request, the top judge had asked Ayatollah Khamenei to approve of the clemency considering the need to reduce the population of prisons, help the inmates to reintegrate into the society, and mitigate the adverse effects of imprisonment on the families of the inmates.
The status of conviction of the eligible prisoners to whom the Leader’s clemency applies must be finalized until March 18, 2020.
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 new clemency would apply to a large population of inmates, including those who have been sentenced to more than 10 years in prison and have remained behind bars for at least half the sentence period.
Men above the age of 70 and women above the age of 60 will be also released from prison, provided that they have served at least one-fifths of their sentences.
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, and smuggling of alcoholic drinks.
