AP and Europa Press

The newspaper La Jornada
Saturday, September 21, 2024, p. 19

Tehran – Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday pardoned thousands of prisoners, including foreigners and people accused of crimes against the state, the state-run IRNA news agency reported Friday.

2,887 prisoners were pardoned following a proposal by the head of the judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejeh, while the death sentences of 59 people were commuted to prison terms.

Among those pardoned are 39 people who were convicted of crimes against the state and 40 foreign citizens, according to the report published by the agency.

Khamenei, who has the final say on all Iranian state affairs, pardons prisoners to mark certain occasions such as the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, which is today.

No details have yet been released about the beneficiaries or whether any of them are detainees from the recent protests in the Asian country.