Executions in Iran hit 8-year high in 2023
Al JazeeraMar 03
Iran Commutes Oil Tycoon's Death Sentence
Image copyright: Majid Saeedi/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has approved a request to commute oil billionaire Babak Zanjani's death sentence to 20 years of imprisonment, Iranian media reported on Tuesday.
After his arrest in 2013, Zanjani was convicted and sentenced to death in 2016 over several charges, including embezzling $2.7B from the oil ministry so as to dodge US sanctions on Iran.
The Spin
Pro-Iran narrative
It's easy to understand why Babak Zanjani had his death sentence overturned and commuted to a 20-year jail term, as he cooperated with authorities to locate and return assets from abroad. Since all property was returned, there's no need to carry out such a severe punishment.
Anti-Iran narrative
There were no doubts that the Islamic Republic was corrupt before this happened, but this commutation further reasserts that the people of Iran are the only ones facing the ramifications of its draconian laws. While ordinary people are subject to the full rigor of the justice system, oligarchs are spared and privileged.