Iran temporarily releases 54,000 prisoners to fight coronavirus spread

Periskopi

3 March 2020, 19:05(6 years ago)

Iran has temporarily released 54,000 prisoners to combat the spread of the coronavirus. According to the BBC, judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmail on bail released the prisoners, though they were tested negative by coronavirus. The “convicts with more than five years in prison will not be set free”, Esmail said. It becomes known that one [...]

According to the BBC, judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmail on bail released the prisoners, though they were tested negative by coronavirus.

The “convicts with more than five years in prison will not be set free”, Esmail said.

It becomes known that a British-Iranian worker Nazani Zaghari-Ratcliffe could soon be released, according to Ambassador Tulip Siddzic from information based by Iranian Ambassador to Great Britain.

Nazani Zaghari-Ratcliffe's husband said on Saturday that his wife was affected by the virus, but prison authorities have refused to test her.

In this case, judiciary spokesman Gholamhosseen Esmaili has reacted, saying Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been in contact with her family, informing them that she was in good health.

According to the BBC, coronavirus in Iran has killed at least 70 people in less than two weeks, while 2,336 people have been infected.