Iranian religious leader pardons 80,000 prisoners Krach is now also in Ukraine: Zelenskyj allegedly arguing with his most important general

Iranian religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has pardoned more than 80,000 prisoners, according to state media. The state news agency IRNA reported this on Monday with reference to Justice Chief Gholam-Hussein Mohseni-Edschehi.

The pardon was announced in February, just before the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Similar amnesties were repeated around the anniversary. Among those pardoned would be numerous people jailed during the recent wave of protests. The numbers cannot be verified. Prominent artists, activists and human rights defenders have recently been released.

The pardon was subject to strict conditions. Among other things, no prisoners accused of espionage will be pardoned. Murder, damage or arson to government or military facilities also exclude clemency. The amnesty is a diversion after the political and church leadership came under pressure, critics said. They also complained that a lawsuit was needed for a pardon. If not, the detainees would have to incriminate themselves, human rights activists criticized.

The latest wave of protests in the fall plunged the Iranian leadership into its worst crisis in decades. The trigger was the death of Iranian Kurd Jina Mahsa Amini in police custody. The 22-year-old was arrested about six months ago for violating Islamic dress codes. More than 500 protesters were killed during the protests and about 20,000 were imprisoned according to estimates by human rights activists. (saw/sda/dpa)