Iranian Judiciary Furloughs 70K Prisoners to Lower COVID-19 Outbreak Risk inside Jails

By Staff, Agencies

Chief of the Iranian Judiciary Ayatollah Sayyed Ebrahim Raisi announced that the Islamic Republic authorized temporary leaves for around 70,000 prisoners, to prevent the outbreak of the new coronavirus in correctional facilities across the country.

“Prisoners will continue to be furloughed as long as [this measure] does not interfere with the society’s security,” Raisi told judicial authorities on Monday. “The priority lies with those who have underlying health conditions,” he added.

The chief justice said Iran’s judicial apparatus has also prioritized processing the cases of individuals charged with hoarding hygiene products and other medical requirements amid the country’s efforts to curb the outbreak.

“The hoarders will be tried earlier than they are due in open courts, and the hoarded items will soon be distributed throughout the nation,” he said.

The novel coronavirus, which first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, has killed more than 3,800 people and infected over 108,000 others in at least 95 countries.

Iran has been the worst-hit country in the Middle East, with a total of 237 deaths and 7,161 infection cases.

Presenting the latest figures on the epidemic on Monday, head of the Health Ministry's Public Relations and Information Center Kianoush Jahanpour said 595 new infections had been diagnosed since Sunday.