Iran’s supreme leader to pardon some detained anti-government protesters

Iran’s supreme leader to pardon some detained anti-government protesters

The Guardian -Feb 5th 2023

By : Patrick Wintour-Diplomatic Editor

Amnesty does not apply to dual nationals, prisoners on death sentence or those that do not regret their crimes, say officials

A limited amnesty is to be offered to many of those detained in the recent Iranian protests, the country’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has agreed.

But the amnesty does not apply to dual nationals, those convicted of offences carrying the death penalty or those that refuse to admit and regret their crimes, the Iranian officials said.

The amnesty will not apply to those deemed to have cooperated with foreign agents, or those charged with committing acts of arson against government buildings. Those “affiliated with groups hostile to the Islamic Republic” would also be excluded, a catch-all that suggests the authorities may only be interested in releasing youngsters with minimal political motives that can be portrayed as being swayed by emotion or foreign propaganda on the internet

The conditional amnesty was proposed to the leader of the Islamic Republic by Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the head of the judiciary, and was presented as an act of reconciliation now that the street protests have been quashed. Requesting the pardon he said: “During recent events, a number of people, especially young people, committed wrong actions and crimes as a result of the indoctrination and propaganda of the enemy. Since the foreign enemies and anti-revolutionary currents’ plans have been foiled, many of these youth now regret their actions,” Ejei wrote.

He added: “These young people are not in any way against the Islamic Republic system, so we also offered them this opportunity by offering amnesty and closing their case at every stage so that their future will not be affected by criminal records. Obviously, if these pardoned people commit crimes again, they will be dealt with more severely according to the law.”

The government has yet to give a definitive figure on the numbers arrested still detained or the number likely to be applicable for the amnesty. Some reports said tens of thousands would be subject to the amnesty, and official news sites prominently portrayed the amnesty as an important act of reconciliation, including showing films of prisoners jubilant at the news. Human rights agencies have claimed that so far 20,000 people have been arrested, and four people have been executed with a further 100 still at risk of execution based on the charges laid against them. The NGO Iran Human Rights dismissed the announcement as propaganda, adding no one should be charged for exercising the legitimate right to protest.