Iran Frees Additional 85,000 Prisoners Over Coronavirus

Iranian authorities have reportedly released 85,000 prisoners from overcrowded prisons as part of efforts to stop further spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country.

The authorities however noted that the move was temporary.

Gholamhossein Esmaili, Iran’s judiciary spokesperson, said most of the released inmates were political prisoners and “security-related” prisoners.

“Also in the jails we have taken precautionary measures to confront the outbreak,’ the spokesman said.

Iran had initially released 70, 000 prisoners in the wake of the rapid spread of the virus in the country.

The latest move came after the Middle East country recorded 855 deaths from Coronavirus and 14, 991 confirmed cases of the virus.