Iran’s Chief Justice Says 22,000 Anti-government Protesters Received Pardons

Some 22,000 people who have taken part in anti-government protests in Iran have received pardons, according to official state media. Iran’s Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei announced the pardons on Monday, the official IRNA news agency reported, according to Reuters. Ejei said in his announcement that so far 82,000 Iranian protesters have been pardoned, though he did not say over what period the pardons had been granted, not how many have been charged in total. Last month, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reportedly ordered an amnesty or reduced sentences for “tens of thousands” of people. Such mass pardons usually occur prior to religious holidays. The Muslim holy month of Ramadan is set to begin on or around March 22. The current anti-government protests began in September, sparked by the death of Kurdish Iranian woman Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the morality police allegedly for wearing her hijab incorrectly.