Ethiopia To Pardon Over 4,000 Inmates To Avert Spread Of COVID-19 In Prisons - Reports

Ethiopia will pardon more than 4,000 prisoners to minimize the threat of the COVID-19 spreading in the country's correctional facilities, media reported Wednesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th March, 2020) Ethiopia will pardon more than 4,000 prisoners to minimize the threat of the COVID-19 spreading in the country's correctional facilities, media reported Wednesday.

According to Ethiopian broadcaster Fana, Attorney General Adanech Abebie told a news conference that President Sahle-Work Zewde had approved a list of 4,010 inmates to be released.

Most of those pardoned have either served a majority of a three-year sentence for nonviolent crimes or are pregnant women and mothers behind bars, the broadcaster reported.

Abebie added that pardoned foreigners will be returned to their countries of origin.

Iran similarly released 85,000 prisoners earlier this month in a bid to slow the spread of COVID-19 in the country. However, Iran stopped short of pardoning the prisoners, saying it expected them back behind bars in late April.

Ethiopia has so far confirmed 12 cases of coronavirus infection with no related deaths registered.