Leader Grants Amnesty to Hundreds of Iranian Convicts

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei pardoned or commuted prison terms of 1,059 convicts sentenced by various Iranian courts.

The pardon was granted on Wednesday, at the request of the country’s Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani on the occasion of the anniversary of victory of the Islamic Revolution.

Article 110 of the Constitution grants the Supreme Leader the right to pardon or reduce the sentences of convicts upon a recommendation from the head of the Judiciary.

The clemency, however, does not apply to all types of convicts, including those who have been sentenced for their role in armed struggle against the country, armed or organized drug trafficking, rape, armed robbery, arms smuggling, abduction, bribery and embezzlement.

Each year in February, when Iran marks the victory anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Khamenei grants an amnesty for a number of prisoners.