Why Iran has freed 85,000 prisoners to combat coronavirus
UN urged Tehran to release inmates, but jail conditions prompt concern that the move has come too late

Iran has temporarily freed around 85,000 prisoners, including political prisoners, as part of a drastic response to combat the spread of the new coronavirus.
According to Reuters, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, Javaid Rehman, said on 10 March that he had asked Tehran to free all political prisoners temporarily from its “overcrowded and disease-ridden jails”, with Iranian judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili confirming the decision this week.
During the announcement, Esmaili stated that “some 50% of those released are security-related prisoners”, a term that Iran uses to describe political prisoners, says Patrick Wintour at The Guardian.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“Also in the jails we have taken precautionary measures to confront the outbreak,” Esmaili added.
Iran has been one of the hardest-hit nations so far, with its death toll from the coronavirus reaching 988 from a total of 16,169 cases so far. Only China and Italy have recorded more cases and fatalities.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world – and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda – try The Week magazine. Get your first six issues for £6–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
The Daily Mail notes that Esmaili did not elaborate on when those released would have to return to prison, nor did Iran clarify which prisoners had been released.
“In a February report, Rehman described how overcrowded and unhygienic conditions were causing the spread of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and hepatitis C. Quoting inmates, he said prisoners even had to provide their own soap,” says Reuters.
Human Rights Watch said last Wednesday that it had received reports that prisoners in Iran had tested positive for coronavirus, prompting fears that the entire system may be at risk. And one British-Iranian political prisoner being held in Tehran on spying charges last month sent a recorded message saying that the jail he is in was in “chaos”, The Guardian reports. He was reportedly transferred three days earlier within Iran’s notorious Evin prison to ward four – one of the wards he claims housed coronavirus victims previously.
ITV News reports that one high-profile prisoner to be released under Iran’s new strategy is Mohammad Hossein Karroubi, the son of opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi, who was in jail for nearly two months.
It is not yet known if British-Iranian woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe will be released from prison, having been imprisoned on espionage charges in 2016.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Quiz of The Week: 3 – 9 May
Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
-
The Week Unwrapped: Will robots benefit from a sense of touch?
Podcast Plus, has Donald Trump given centrism a new lease of life? And was it wrong to release the deadly film Rust?
-
The week's best photos
In Pictures A dancing couple, a new pope, and more
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designation
The Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysis
In Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical