Iran releases several inmates to placate the protest movement
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Sulaiman
- . February 15, 2023
- . Update: February 15, 2023 4:12 pm
Following months of unrest brought on by Mahsa Amini’s passing, Iran has released a number of well-known detainees in an apparent effort to placate opposition figures.
The limited amnesty comes as protests have become less frequent and smaller in scale throughout the winter months since their crescendo following the death in jail of Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman, in mid-September.
She committed suicide after being detained for allegedly breaking the dress code, which requires women to wear modest attire and hijabs, sparking months of turmoil that Iran has often referred to as “riots” started by foreigners. Security personnel were among the hundreds of people killed. Thousands were also detained, and four criminals were hung.
Many of those detained are thought to still be in jail, and even those released on bond risk having active legal charges brought against them.
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However, in recent weeks, Iran has released a number of well-known detainees, a move perceived as an effort to de-escalate after months of unrest, as street tensions have partly subsided.
On its main page, the reformist newspaper Etemad featured images of 50 recently freed people. They included activists, French Iranian researcher Fariba Adelkhah, and filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof.
