Ideological governments always try to control all aspects of governance under their own ideological and belief principles in order to survive. The criminal system and judicial system are not exempt from this matter. In fact, it can be said that the ideology of governments not only determines criminal laws and their enforcement, but also has an impact on the overall judicial system and even the public culture related to justice, crime, and punishment. The structure of the ruling system in Iran, known as the Islamic Republic, is a unique and completely ideological structure that influences all public spheres and even the private lives of individuals, justifying all its contradictions against human and moral principles through religious and jurisprudential justifications. In other words, in such governments, Sharia laws are the basis of the criminal system and some actions that are not considered crimes in other systems are criminalized or, in the present era, are brought under criminal laws through abandoned institutions such as “repentance” which deals with religious matters and is dedicated to the

With the announcement of the “Repentance Procedure” by the head of the judiciary, it is not far-fetched to predict that the project of rehabilitating political and ideological activists, which was previously widely implemented in the Islamic Republic system in the 1960s and 1970s, will once again be put in place in a systematic manner and in a new form within the framework of Iran’s judicial system. Prior to the approval and announcement of such procedures, the Islamic Republic used this method alongside a widespread amnesty for suspects and convicts of the 1401 protests, making the amnesty conditional upon the submission of a repentance and commitment letter. In fact, rehabilitation in the Islamic Republic of Iran refers to a process that primarily targets political and ideological prisoners, subjecting them to physical and psychological pressures to renounce their beliefs and activities and declare repentance. In this process, security and judicial authorities force prisoners to make forced confessions in order to weaken opponents and create a climate of fear

In addition, some of the criteria for repentance and exemption from punishment are also a subject of discussion, which can be seen as a reflection of the Islamic ideology governing the legal and criminal system in Iran. This directive, with an emphasis on fulfilling religious duties as examples of benefiting from repentance, attempts to evaluate the repentance of individuals as signs of reform and return to the right path; however, this clause imposes beliefs and religion on prisoners and contradicts fundamental human principles and universal human rights standards.

Moreover, this approach is contradictory to some principles of criminal law and leads to discrimination and inequality in the administration of justice. It should be noted that political activists, who are usually persecuted and prosecuted for expressing their beliefs and opinions and exercising their legal rights to protest, do not usually show remorse or repentance. In fact, there is no room for remorse in such crimes that stem from a sense of justice and freedom. However, convicts of other crimes that endanger public order and the safety of citizens may be able to show remorse and adhere to this abandoned and free establishment, and once again put the safety of citizens at risk. Overall, it can be said that the use of repentance as a tool for social and propaganda control by the government will not only weaken the fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens, but also weaken reformist motivations and strengthen dissatisfaction and social protests, and despite the systematic approach to this issue, the government will ultimately face its consequences.