CNN
—
Iran will pardon or commute the sentences of a number of prisoners as part of an annual amnesty, state media reported Sunday, but how this will apply to those arrested in the latest wave of protests. Unknown.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has approved a proposal to “pardon or commutate” the sentences of thousands of prisoners, according to state media reports, but could exclude many imprisoned protesters. There are high notable exceptions.
According to the semi-official Tasnim, the amnesty is for “espionage against outsiders, direct affiliation with foreign intelligence services, murder or intentional injury, and vandalism or arson attacks against governments, the military, and the public.” Not applicable to people convicted or charged with a crime “site” – all charges regularly imposed against protesters and foreigners imprisoned in Iran.
Addressing protesters, Chief Justice Golam-Hossein Mooseni-Ejay said, “Many prisoners imprisoned following the recent riots in Iran were duped into cheating under the influence of enemy propaganda campaigns. “I asked for forgiveness,” Tasnim said. report.
At least one Iranian human rights group dismissed the move as “propaganda.”
“Ayatollah Khamenei’s #Hypocritical amnesty for protesters is a propaganda act. They exercise their rights to protest and their arrest and sentence are not justified. Not only is there a universal right to the trial of perpetrators and agents of oppression in the path of justice,” the Iranian human rights group said on Twitter.
The Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI), a New York-based NGO, described Khamenei’s move as a “PR stunt” that was “unfounded in reality.”
CHRI’s deputy director Jasmine Ramsey told CNN in a statement on Sunday that the Iranian regime “has a documented history of making lofty declarations about the release of political prisoners and not complying with them.”
“What we expect is that while some will be released, many others will remain incarcerated, especially high-profile political prisoners who have been unjustly imprisoned for years,” Ramsey said. said.
“This is a PR stunt with no real basis in reality by a regime that has lost legitimacy among its people. I am,” she continued.
Semi-official news agency Mehr claimed that “tens of thousands” of prisoners could be pardoned or commuted, but gave no details.
Ayatollah Khamenei made the announcement ahead of the 44th anniversary of the “Victory of the Islamic Revolution” marked on February 11. It is customary for Ayatollah Khamenei to grant amnesty to some prisoners on this occasion.
The September 2022 death of a young Kurdish-Iranian woman, Masa Amini, sparked anti-government protests and arrested tens of thousands of people across the country.
Last month, Iran executed two protesters accused of killing security personnel, sparking international protests. Critics said the executions were the result of hasty sham trials.At least 43 people are currently facing executions in Iran, according to a CNN tally, but activist group 1500Tasvir put the number at 100. said to be likely to reach
