State authorities have announced that they will release tens of thousands of prisoners, almost half of them political prisoners, with the aim of preventing Corona's outbreak in prisons • The date of their return to prison is unspecified

• Prison in Evin prison in Tehran // Photo: Reuters

Iran announced Tuesday that it has temporarily released 85,000 prisoners, including political prisoners, for fear of the outbreak of the Corona virus in regime prisons.

Iranian justice spokesman Golmhussain Ismaili said in a special statement quoted in the country's media that "fifty percent of the detainees are security prisoners. We have also taken steps to protect prisons from the spread of the virus." The spokesman did not specify the date of their return to prison for the released and how the state plans to return tens of thousands of political prisoners to prison in no time.

Photo: Ruffley

One week ago, the United Nations Special Envoy for Human Rights in Iran, Javed Rahman, asked senior officials to allow the political prisoners from the dense and battered prisons in the country to protect them from the spread of the virus.

Also voices within the Islamic Republic last month called for the release of political prisoners. MP Mahmoud Sadagi, who has been in Corona disease, called for the release of political prisoners from prisons.

In a particularly courageous tweet, the sick MP wrote: "My corona test is back positive. I don't have much hope in this world. I urge the Speaker of Parliament to allow political and security prisoners out of prisons at the outbreak."

Iran's incarceration system is known to be particularly brutal and prominent in the northern Iranian capital, Evin Prison, intended primarily for political prisoners. Density, hunger conditions, and shortages and abuse by prison guards are just some of the reports of Iranian prison man violations.