TEHRAN, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has agreed to pardon or commute the sentences of 2,108 prisoners, but none of those involved in recent protests will benefit from the move, the judiciary said on Tuesday.
The clemency was granted to mark a major religious holiday and the 47th anniversary of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, which falls on Wednesday. The pardons followed a request from judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, according to the judiciary's Mizan Online news outlet.
Judiciary deputy chief Ali Mozaffari said the measure excludes defendants and convicts linked to recent "riots," Mizan reported.
Khamenei routinely uses his constitutional authority to grant pardons on state occasions. Such measures do not apply to those convicted of serious crimes, including armed opposition to the state, major drug trafficking, armed robbery, weapons smuggling, espionage, and corruption.
Protests erupted across Iran last month over economic grievances before taking on a political dimension and turning violent, leading to casualties and widespread damage to public property, mosques, government buildings, and banks. Iranian authorities have blamed the United States and Israel for inciting the unrest.
The semi-official Tasnim news agency reported in January that about 3,000 people connected to the protests were detained, citing security officials. ■
