Nearly 23,000 Iranian prisoners freed under amnesty

The head of Iran’s State Prisons and Security and Corrective Measures Organization said that 22,700 Iranian prisoners have been released under recent clemency granted by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution’s victory.

Ali Asghar Jahangir said on Tuesday that 22,700 inmates have been released from prison across the country and the prison sentences of 13,400 other convicts have been commuted, Tasnim News Agency reported.

He noted that other prisoners to whom the Leader’s amnesty applies will be freed from jail within the next few days.

Of those released under the clemency, 606 were women, Jahangir added.

On February 7, Ayatollah Khamenei approved a proposal to grant amnesty to a large number of Iranian prisoners Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman offered condolences to Zimbabwe’s government over a deadly incident in a mine in the African country.

Bahram Qassemi expressed his deep regret over the incident and sympathized with the bereaved families of the victims of the miners, Zimbabwe government and nation, according to the Foreign Ministry’s official website.

Rescue workers retrieved 24 bodies and eight survivors on Saturday from two flooded gold mines in Zimbabwe where officials fear dozens more illegal miners are still trapped, AFP reported.

“Eight of the trapped minors have been rescued ... while 24 bodies have been retrieved to date as rescue efforts continue at Battlefields Mine,” the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation reported.

The two disused mines are situated near the town of Kadoma, 145 kilometers (90 miles) southwest of the capital Harare.

In a clip posted on Twitter, one survivor told journalists that the waters had risen to neck level, forcing them to stand for days until it receded.

On Friday the government said that between 60 and 70 “artisanal” miners were trapped in two shafts. on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution.

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

The new clemency applies to a large population of inmates, including those sentenced to life in prison who have remained behind bars for at least 15 years, for men, and at least 12 years, for women.

The clemency, however, does not apply to certain types of convicts, including those who have been sentenced for their role in the armed smuggling of narcotics, arms trafficking, kidnapping, acid attacks, rape, armed robbery, bribery, embezzlement, counterfeit money forgery, money laundering, disruption of the economy, smuggling of alcoholic drinks, and organized smuggling of commodities.