Iran's Leader Pardons More Than 1,000 Prisoners, Including Foreign Nationals

Iranian media have reported that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country's Supreme Leader, has pardoned 1,291 prisoners, including foreign nationals and individuals accused of anti-state crimes.

The Iranian news agency IRNA reported on Friday, September 20, that Khamenei's decree also commuted the death sentences of 59 inmates to life imprisonment.

According to the report, Khamenei agreed to pardon and reduce the sentences of 2,887 prisoners based on a proposal by Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the head of Iran's judiciary.

This pardon and sentence reduction were granted in honor of the birth anniversaries of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and Imam Jafar Sadiq (AS).

The report, citing Sadegh Rahimi, Iran's Deputy Judiciary Chief, mentioned that“140 of those pardoned are female prisoners, 40 are foreign nationals, 39 are security-related convicts, and 6 are under the age of 18.”

Rahimi also emphasized that an additional 1,596 prisoners received sentence reductions.

No specific details were provided about the identities of the foreign nationals included in the pardon.

Recently, the United Nations and several human rights organizations have expressed concern over the rising number of executions in Iran, calling for an end to this practice.

According to UN statistics, more than 400 people have been executed in Iran since the beginning of this year, further intensifying global criticism of Iran's human rights record. Despite the pardons, concerns remain regarding the overall rise in executions, highlighting the ongoing tensions between the Iranian government and international rights groups.

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