Continuation of Amputation Sentences Under Islamic Penal Code

A judicial official in the Islamic Republic in Khorasan Razavi spoke about the execution of a hand amputation for a thief who, more than five years ago, along with his younger brother and accomplices, had broken into a jewelry store safe in Mashhad. The newspaper Khorasan reported on Saturday under the title 'Hand Amputation of a Thief in Mashhad' that Judge Gholamali Sadeqi stated in an exclusive interview with the newspaper last Thursday that immediately after the necessary preparations for the execution of the sentence were made, on the morning of last Thursday, with the presence of doctors, execution judges, and other relevant officials in the central prison of Mashhad, the divine limits regarding another thief were executed. Ahmad Bashiri, a lawyer in Tehran, mentioned the continuation of the issuance and execution of amputation sentences based on the Islamic Penal Code in an interview with Radio Farda, stating that such sentences are somewhat executed. Bashiri emphasized that as long as the Islamic Penal Code exists, the issuance of amputation sentences will also be possible. Gholamali Sadeqi, who is also introduced in the Khorasan report as the public prosecutor and revolutionary prosecutor in Mashhad and a senior judicial official in the provincial center, mentioned the older brother, who was 31 years old at the time of the execution of his hand amputation, by the initials 'M.N.' and noted that he was 25 years old at the time of the theft, while the younger brother was 22 years old at that time and was sentenced to 10 years in prison, restitution of property, and 74 lashes. According to this report, the issued sentence was confirmed by the Supreme Court following their appeal. Earlier, the state news agency IRIB reported that three hand amputation sentences had been executed in Qom province. Younes Davoodi, the deputy prosecutor of Qom province, stated last month that the hand amputation sentences for three thieves had been executed in the central prison of Qom. Mehrangiz Kar, a lawyer and human rights activist in Washington, recounted the issue of the issuance and execution of amputation sentences dating back four decades following changes in Iranian laws during the revolution. According to Kar, if the general penal law prior to the revolution were reinstated today, many of the problems in this area from both domestic and international perspectives would be resolved. The International Covenant Against Torture and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, prohibit the use of inhumane punishments such as amputation.