Amnesty International: Eye for an Eye Punishment Reflects the Ultimate Cruelty of Iran's Judiciary

Amnesty International condemned the eye-for-an-eye punishment of a man accused of acid attack in Qom, calling it a "horrific" example of the actions of Iran's judiciary. Raha Bahreini, an expert on Iran at Amnesty International, reacted to this action by the Islamic Republic's judicial system on Friday, March 6, stating: "Punishing a human being in such a way that intentionally blinds them is an extremely cruel and shocking act that is beyond description." She added: "This punishment reflects the ultimate cruelty of Iran's judiciary and shows that Iranian officials are severely indifferent to basic principles of humanity." Iranian media reported on Tuesday that a man accused of an acid attack on a taxi driver in Qom has finally gone blind in one eye after several years of imprisonment in Rajai Shahr prison. This is considered the first case of 'eye for an eye' punishment in the Islamic Republic's judicial system, while Iranian judicial officials had previously stated that doctors were unwilling to carry out such a sentence. Reports indicate that the punishment for this accused will not end here, as the Iranian judiciary intends to blind his other eye soon. However, the Amnesty International expert emphasized that such punishments, which she described as 'inhumane' and 'cruel', have no relation to justice. Ms. Bahreini stated: "Blinding, like stoning, amputation, and flogging, is a form of corporal punishment that international laws have prohibited. Such punishments should not be carried out under any circumstances." Meanwhile, the Iranian judiciary has issued a sentence to blind and deaf another accused of acid attack, which was also supposed to be executed on Tuesday but has been postponed for a few days. Amnesty International has urged Iranian officials to immediately halt the execution of such sentences and only carry out sentences that are in line with international laws.