Mojtaba Khamenei pardons 139 prisoners sentenced to death

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei has approved a proposal to commute the sentences of 139 prisoners sentenced to death in various courts, according to a report by Iran's semi-official Mehr news agency.

Iran's judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir confirmed the matter and said, "This is the first time that 139 people sentenced to death have been pardoned." He said that there were no personal complaints against these prisoners and none of them were involved in security-related crimes.

He also noted that they qualified for the pardon because of their improved behavior in prison, expressed remorse and went through a process of reform. According to Article 110 of the Iranian constitution, the Supreme Leader has the authority to pardon or reduce the sentences of prisoners based on the recommendation of the head of the judiciary.

However, this amnesty does not apply to those convicted of certain crimes, such as armed rebellion, organized drug trafficking, armed robbery, arms smuggling, kidnapping, bribery and corruption.