Irans Supreme LeaderAyatollah Ali Khameneigranted clemency to 1,298 prisoners following a request from the head of the countrys judiciary.Ayatollah Khamenei pardoned the inmates or commuted their jail terms on the occasion of the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, which Iran observes today, and ahead of the 34th anniversary of the Islamic revolution on Feb. 10, according to his website.
The decision came in response to a letter by judiciary chief Sadegh Larijani, the report said. The prisoners were not identified and their crimes not specified. The website didnt say when they would be released. It wasnt clear whether PresidentMahmoud Ahmadinejads press adviser, whos serving six months for the publication of controversial material, was among those whose sentence had been reviewed. Ali Akbar Javanfekr, who was imprisoned on Sept. 26, has written to Ayatollah Khamenei asking for his case to be reconsidered, lawyer Ghahreman Shojai told the state-runIranian Students News Agency.
By Bloomberg
The Iran Project is not responsible for the content of quoted articles.
