Leader pardons, commutes sentences of over 2,200 inmates

On the night of the birth anniversary of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, commuted or pardoned the sentences of more than 2,200 Iranian inmates.

Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, the head of Iran’s judiciary, asked Ayatollah Khamenei on Monday to commute the sentences of 2,284 prisoners who were eligible for release or sentence reduction.

The prisoners had been found guilty in the public and Islamic Revolution courts, as well as by the Judicial Organization of the Armed Forces and the State Discretionary Punishment Organization.

The clemency was granted on the eve of the birthday anniversaries of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and Imam Jafar Sadiq (AS), the sixth Shia Imam, which fell on Tuesday.

On the occasion of religious celebrations, the Leader frequently announces such directives.
According to Iran’s Constitution, Article 110, the Leader has the authority to pardon or commute prisoners’ sentences on the advice of the chief of the judiciary.

However, not all convicts are eligible for mercy, including those who have received a sentence for their involvement in armed conflict against the government, armed or organized drug trafficking, rape, armed robbery, smuggling of weapons, kidnapping, bribery, or embezzlement.
The Leader remitted sentences for more than 1,700 detainees in April on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the completion of the fasting month of Ramadan.

Ayatollah Khamenei also consented in February to commute the sentences of individuals detained during the foreign-sponsored riots that broke out in September 2022 as a result of the death of a young woman named Mahsa Amini.

The approval was provided by the Leader on the 44th anniversary of the magnificent triumph of the Islamic Revolution, which ended the reign of the U.S.-backed Pahlavi dynasty in 1979, as well as the birthday anniversary of Imam Ali (AS), the first Shia Imam.