“Those who will be pardoned will not return to jail … almost half of those security-related prisoners will be pardoned as well,” said judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili.

The announcement comes after the temporary release of 85,000 prisoners on furlough in order to counter the spread of the coronavirus.

As the pandemic continues to spread, “a large number of prisoners who have been temporarily freed do not need to return to jail after the leader’s pardon,” Esmaili said.

“The unprecedented point is that the pardon also includes the security-related prisoners with less than five-year jail sentences,” he added.

The release of 85,000 people included some Christians, but as ICC noted, the security-related prisoners of which Christians are most often indicted, usually have more than five years of sentence. 

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