Leader agrees to grant clemency to over 700 Iranian convicts

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei agreed to pardoning or commuting the sentences of 741 Iranians convicted by the country’s judicial authorities.

The Leader granted the clemency consent on the occasion of Eid al-Mab’ath, marking Prophet Muhammad’s appointment as the last Messenger of God nearly 15 centuries ago, IRNA reported.

The pardon applies to those found guilty in courts of common pleas and Islamic Revolution tribunals, the Judicial Organization of the Armed Forces and the State Discretionary Punishment Organization.

The proposal for suspending or mitigating the sentences of the convicts deemed eligible for the clemency was submitted to Ayatollah Khamenei by Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei.

The Leader regularly issues such orders on various celebratory occasions.

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 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.