Pardoned by wife’s family, Ex-mayor of Tehran freed permanently after Leader’s clemency

Former mayor of Tehran and senior Iranian politician Mohammad Ali Najafi has been permanently released from prison over two years after he was forgiven by the family of his second wife he had shot dead.

Mitra Ostad, the second wife of Najafi, was murdered at her home in Tehran on May 28, 2019. The Police found Ostad’s body with several gunshots in her chest.

Back on July 30, Najafi was sentenced to death for the crime, after the court arrived at the definite conclusion that a deliberate murder had happened and “issued a Qisas [retaliation in kind] verdict”, meaning capital punishment for Najafi.

Despite the pardon by his wife’s family, he had to serve 6.5 years behind bars.

Iranian media reported on Sunday, however, that he was released from jail thanks to a wide-covering clemency order issued by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei a few months ago.

Najafi had resigned from the post of Tehran’s mayor in April 2018, citing failing health for leaving the office, less than a year after appointment to the post.

Affiliated with the reformist political faction, he used to serve as the minister of education and the minister of science in various administrations.

He also took the helm at Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHTO) during ex-President Hassan Rouhani’s first term, but resigned after six months.

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