Iran has extended furloughs for prisoners for another month, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday, as the country tries to stem the spread of the new coronavirus in its crowded jails.
"Furloughs of those prisoners, who pose no threat to the society, have been extended until May 20," he said in a televised cabinet meeting.
Iran's reported temporary release of 100,000 prisoners since February - including prisoners of conscience and dual and foreign nationals - was welcomed by the United Nations on Friday as a good step, but one that must be expanded.
However, a letter by UN human rights experts, including Special Rapporteur on Iran Javaid Rehman, said "most prisoners of conscience, human rights defenders, conservationists and dual and foreign nationals" remained imprisoned in Iran.
Rights groups say many of the dual-nationals are political prisoners or are being held as bargaining chips for future negotiations with the West.
“We recognize the emergency situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran and the problems it faces in fighting the pandemic, including reported challenges in accessing medical supplies due to sanctions,” the UN experts said. “Some are at great risk from COVID-19 due to their age or underlying health conditions. We call on the authorities to immediately release them.”
The experts highlighted the cases of human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh and defenders Narges Mohammadi and Arash Sadeghi, as well as dual nationals Ahmadreza Djalali , an Iranian-Swedish national; Morad Tahbaz, an Iranian-British-American national; and Kamran Ghaderi and Massud Mossaheb , two Iranian-Austrian nationals.
They said all seven have requested temporary release but have been rejected or not received a response.
Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili denied nationality was a factor in the prisoner releases.
Rouhani said Sunday mosques in Iran would remain closed until at least May 4, as the region’s worst-hit country tries to contain the fast-spreading outbreak.
Iran allowed so-called low-risk businesses - including many shops, factories and workshops - to resume operations in Tehran on Saturday, a week after re-opening in the rest of the country.
"Mosques and religious centers will remain closed for the next two weeks ... Decisions on gatherings during the (Muslim holy month of) Ramadan will be taken next week," Rouhani said.
Schools and universities remain closed, and a ban on cultural, religious and sports gatherings has been imposed.
Rouhani said high-risk businesses - including theatres, gyms, saunas, beauty salons and shopping centers - would remain closed "until further notice".
Iran has reported 80,868 confirmed cases of infection and more than 5,000 deaths.
