Coronavirus Live Updates: Iran Temporarily Releases Over 54,000 Inmates to Prevent Virus Spread

Iran Temporarily Releases Over 54,000 Inmates to Prevent Virus Spread
An Iranian official made a statement on March 3 saying that more than 54,000 inmates have been temporarily freed from prison to prevent the coronavirus from spreading, Wall Street Journal reported.

Only inmates that have tested negative have been released while those who have lengthy sentences and considered to be a public danger were not released. Other prisoners had to pay their bail to be released.

The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection sharply rose from 1,501 on March 2 to 2,336 on March 3.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian woman, convicted of espionage charges, was believed to have contracted the coronavirus while in prison, according to Free Nazanin, a Facebook page created by her husband.

Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 37, was at the airport in Iran on April 3, 2016, ready to return to the UK when she was detained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, according to her family.

The 37-year-old maintains her innocence and was reportedly visiting her family in Iran to celebrate the new year, BBC reported.

David Adams

Article URL : https://www.theepochtimes.com/coronavirus-live-updates-iran-temporarily-releases-over-54000-inmates-to-prevent-virus-spread_3259110.html