Several thousand prisoners who have nothing to do with the protests are also released. The annual gesture coincides each year with the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The reduced sentence will not apply to arrested protesters who have declared “war on faith” and are said to be “corrupt”. Persons suspected of espionage and collaboration with other countries, murder and damaging military property are also not eligible for leniency.
The number of protesters arrested by the Iranian authorities is high and condemned by human rights groups. Especially since the death penalty is based on many crimes committed and the processes that led to the conviction were not transparent.
Executions
Possible sentence reduction comes too late for four protesters. They have already been executed for their role in protests that erupted last year after the brutal murder of 22-year-old student Mahsa Amini. She was arrested by the religious police in Iran on charges of not respecting Iranian rules requiring a woman to cover her head.