Amnesty International Condemns Public Whipping of Kashmari Youth

Amnesty International condemned Iran's action of publicly whipping a young man who reportedly consumed alcohol at a wedding 10 years ago when he was a teenager. The organization described the execution of this young man's punishment, which took place on July 9, as 'shocking' and contrary to international law and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The young man, identified as 'M.R.', received 80 lashes in public at Namazi Square in Kashmar, Razavi Khorasan, for allegedly consuming alcohol when he was 14 or 15 years old. Meanwhile, Gholamreza Talai, the prosecutor of Kashmar, stated to the ISNA news agency, 'We have no hesitation in executing sentences, especially divine limits,' adding that the public execution was carried out at the judge's discretion. Iranian media also published images of the execution, showing the young man tied to a tree while a masked individual whipped him, with a crowd watching from a distance. Philip Luther, the Director of Amnesty International for the Middle East and North Africa, criticized what he called the 'complex priorities' of Iranian authorities, stating that no one, regardless of age, deserves to be whipped. He characterized the widespread use of 'corporal punishment' by the Islamic Republic against defendants, including children, as a sign of Iranian officials' disregard for fundamental human rights and called for the immediate abolition of all such punishments, including whipping and amputation. Luther added that Iran, as a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, is obligated to prohibit any form of torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading punishment. He deemed the allowance of such punishments by Iranian officials, even in the name of religion, as unacceptable. ISNA also reported that Gholamreza Talai confirmed the public execution of 80 lashes for this young man. Talai stated that 'this individual was sentenced in 2007 by Branch 101 of the Kashmar Criminal Court for the crime of drinking alcohol, which led to a collective brawl at a wedding that resulted in the death of the late Mohammad Youssefpour in 2006.' He added that M.R. 'did not participate in the murder but was involved in the brawl.' Judicial authorities of the Islamic Republic have repeatedly executed sentences of whipping or amputation in public under the pretext of deterrence. Nevertheless, alcohol consumption in Iran has been on the rise in recent years, and even law enforcement officials have stated that this issue must now be accepted as a 'reality.' In 2007, the Tehran Criminal Court sentenced a 22-year-old named 'Mohsen' to death for drinking alcohol. Judge Jalil Jalili of Branch 72 of the Tehran Criminal Court stated that 'the defendant had consumed alcohol four times, and according to Islamic penal law, anyone who drinks alcohol twice and receives a punishment each time will be executed on the third offense.' According to Article 179 of Islamic Penal Law, if someone consumes alcohol multiple times and is punished with lashes each time, the court can issue a death sentence on the third occasion.