TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iranian philanthropists helped release a total of 1,216 inmates of unintentional crimes across the country over the holy month of Ramadan (April 13-May 12), Asadollah Joolaei, head of Blood Money Organization has said.
Some 1,206 male and 10 female prisoners, who were convicts or financial crimes, have been released, he added, IRIB reported on Monday.
A total of 1.5 trillion rials (nearly $35 million at the official rate of 42,000 rials) has been donated to pay the debt of the released prisoners, which has grown by 100 percent compared to the same period last year, he explained.
Isfahan province topped the list for the most contributions to release involuntary crime doers, following by two provinces of Kerman and Mazandaran, he said, adding, Isfahan, Gilan, and Tehran, released the highest number of prisoners amounting to 313.
With the support of philanthropists during the holy month of Ramadan, the number of involuntary crimes prisoners has decreased to 4,938, he concluded.
9,398 inmates freed nationwide
Iranian benefactors helped release a total of 9,398 inmates of unintentional crimes across the country over the past Iranian calendar year (March 2020-March 2021), according to the Blood Money Organization.
Freeing prisoners of involuntary crimes is done in three ways; the first way is granting prisoners leave and the second way is providing a number of them with loans to be paid inside the prison.
The third way of assistance is the release of unintentional convicts by paying their debt; last year, a total of 35 trillion rials (nearly $833 million) has been donated to pay the debt of the released prisoners.
Last year, Isfahan province topped the list for releasing the highest number of prisoners amounting to 677 involuntary crime doers, while Sistan-Baluchestan at the bottom of the list.
As an annual tradition, benefactors come together in a ceremony to raise funds for releasing prisoners of unintentional crimes during the holy month of Ramadan (which started on April 13 this year), through which, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has donated 5 billion rials (about $120,000).
Last year, heads of the three branches of the government and the private sector donated 6.5 billion rials (nearly $150,000) to release prisoners who had committed involuntary crimes.
President Hassan Rouhani, former Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, and Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Seyed Ebrahim Raeisi made a total of 3.9 billion rials (around $92,000) in contributions to free prisoners of unintentional crimes.
