Iran on March 3 temporarily freed more than 54,000 inmates from prison in a move to prevent the novel coronavirus from spreading, as the death toll in the country rose to at least 77, killing 23 members of the Iranian parliament.
Only inmates who had tested negative for COVID-19—the disease caused by coronavirus—and had posted bail have been released, judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili told reporters on Tuesday. The figure amounts to roughly a fifth of Iran’s jail population.
