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Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei approved pardons or sentence reductions for more than 2,000 convicts on Tuesday, according to the judiciary, while explicitly excluding those linked to recent nationwide protests.

According to AFP, the decision, which covered 2,108 inmates, was made at the request of the head of the judiciary and comes ahead of the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, a period traditionally marked by such clemency measures. The judiciary’s Mizan Online said the list did not include defendants or convicts involved in what officials described as the recent “riots.”

The protests erupted in late December over rising living costs and escalated into broader anti-government demonstrations, peaking on January 8 and 9. Iranian authorities have said more than 3,000 people were killed during the unrest, including security personnel and civilians, blaming the violence on “terrorist acts” and foreign instigation.

International organizations dispute the official toll. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) says it has verified 6,964 deaths, the majority of them protesters.

AFP