Iran: Release of Political Prisoners; Opposition Leader in Psychological Harm

Tehran Prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi announced that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will pardon 100 political prisoners in light of the end of the holy month of Ramadan.  Additionally, more than 30 inmates have been released over the past several days, including students and political activists arrested in the aftermath of the 2009 presidential election.  According to the Green Movement’s news site Kaleme, in regards to the pardoned prisoners whose imprisonment was related to the 2009 presidential election, many of them had almost completed their full sentence or had served half of their prison sentence, which would qualify them for conditional release according to Iranian law.

Iranian political activists said that the government’s decision to release political prisoners  ”would promote peace and calm in the country.”  Reformist political activist Ahmad Shirzad called for “forgiveness and fairness” in dealing with what happened in the 2009 election.

On Saturday, 16 people were arrested for participating in demonstrations against new tax regulations at the Tehran Bazaar.  Kaleme reported that security forces charged protesters with “instigating protests amongst the merchants and shop owners and guiding them toward chanting slogans.”

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran reported that opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi is in “grave danger of physical and psychological harm, as news of his complete isolation for the past 42 days emerged today.” According to sources, Karroubi is “surrounded by a team of psychiatrists working with his captors to force his mental state into agreeing to appear in front of cameras and make televised ‘confessions.’”  The campaign called for his immediate release.