TEHRAN, March 13 (Xinhua) — The Iranian judiciary chief said Monday that 22,000 people arrested during the recent “riots” in the country have been pardoned, according to the Mizan news agency of the judiciary.
Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei noted that the figure may increase, adding that of the 22,000 pardoned, some had been convicted and some were waiting for trials.The pardon had been proposed on the occasion of the 44th anniversary of the victory of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, which fell on Feb. 11.The total number of inmates being granted mercy stands at 82,000.Protests erupted in Iran after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in a Tehran hospital on Sept. 16, 2022, a few days after her collapse at a police station. Iran has accused the United States and some other Western countries of “inciting riots and supporting terrorists” in the country.