Iran's Khamenei pardons prisoners linked to protests

Iran's supreme leader has pardoned tens of thousands of prisoners, including some arrested in recent anti-government protests. State news agency IRNA reported on Sunday. But the pardon, approved by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in honor of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, comes with conditions. State media reports said the amnesty would not apply to any of the numerous dual nationals held in Iran. IRNA also said those accused of corruption on Earth would not be pardoned. That's a capital charge brought against some protesters, four of whom have been executed. The pardon will also not apply to those charged with spying for foreign agencies or those affiliated with groups hostile to the Islamic Republic.

Iran was swept by protests following the death of a young Iranian Kurdish woman in the custody of the country's morality police last September. The demonstrations marked one of the boldest challenges to the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution. These groups say over 500 have been killed in the crackdown, including 70 miners.

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