The country’s Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani in a letter had asked for the Leader’s authorization of the conditions so that convicts deemed fit to receive clemency will be pardoned or have their sentences commuted on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) beloved daughter Hazrat Zahra (SA) and the upcoming Iranian New Year, known as Nowruz or Norooz.
Article 110 of the Constitution grants the Supreme Leader the right to pardon or reduce the sentences of convicts upon a recommendation from the head of the Judiciary.
Each year on different occasions, including in February, when Iran marks the victory anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, or on religious occasions, Ayatollah Khamenei grants an amnesty for a number of prisoners.
Those granted clemency are prisoners convicted in local courts of arbitration, the country’s Islamic Revolution Court, the judicial apparatus serving Iran’s Armed Forces, and the State Discretionary Punishment Organization.
The clemency, however, does not apply to some types of convicts, including those who have been sentenced for their role in armed struggle against the country, armed or organized drug trafficking, rape, armed robbery, arms smuggling, abduction, bribery, embezzlement, corruption, money laundering, acid attack, counterfeiting money, disturbing the country’s economic system, and alcohol-related crimes.
