Covid 19 iran temporarily frees 85000 prisoners to stem spread

Yes, that's correct. In March 2020, Iran's government temporarily released around 85,000 prisoners to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in the country's overcrowded prisons.

The decision was made in response to the rapid spread of the virus in Iran, which had one of the highest death tolls in the Middle East at the time. The country's prison system was particularly vulnerable to the outbreak, with many prisons overcrowded and lacking adequate sanitation and healthcare facilities.

The mass release of prisoners was seen as a way to reduce the risk of transmission within the prison system and to free up resources to focus on treating those who were already infected. The released prisoners were mostly non-violent offenders who were serving short sentences, and many were elderly or had underlying health conditions that made them more vulnerable to the virus.

The move was widely seen as a necessary step to protect the health and safety of both prisoners and prison staff, and was praised by human rights groups and other organizations. However, it also raised concerns about the potential for released prisoners to reoffend and about the impact on the country's already-strained justice system.

It's worth noting that the release of prisoners was not a one-time event, and Iran has continued to release prisoners on a smaller scale over the course of the pandemic to help reduce the risk of transmission and to free up resources to focus on treating those who are infected.