Iran's Struggles with Robbery and Poverty; Observers Blame the Islamic Republic

The discussion about the connection between poverty and robbery has intensified following reports of several citizens being killed by thieves; some have called for harsher penalties in the laws, while a group of observers blame the Islamic Republic for the increasing economic problems. The website 'Iran Watch' emphasized in a report based on 'available statistics' that 'in recent years, due to the increase in economic problems and poverty, robbery and theft have risen.' Poverty, economic inequalities, unemployment, and psychological issues stemming from these crises are cited in the report as 'the main reasons for crimes such as robbery,' with references to incidents of robbery in public places and highways, including 'armed robbery on the Sadra highway' and the murder of Amir Mohammad Khalighi, a young student in Tehran. According to the Islamic Penal Code, which the judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran uses as the basis for determining penalties for crimes, 'if theft is accompanied by harm or threat, the offender will be sentenced to three to 15 years in prison and 74 lashes.' In the report, Abdullah Samami, a lawyer, stated that robbery, if 'accompanied by the use of a firearm or cold weapon and causes public terror,' is considered 'moharebeh' (waging war against God). The charge of moharebeh under Islamic Republic laws can lead to the death penalty. Recently, the government news agency 'Mizan,' affiliated with the judiciary, reported the execution of a prisoner accused of 'moharebeh' through the use of a cold weapon for theft. However, Mohsen Barahani, a legal expert in Iran, wrote on social media that according to Islamic Penal Law, 'those accused of theft and murder' in such cases do not fall under moharebeh, as these individuals faced this charge after the video of the crime scene was 'broadcast and went viral,' leading to 'psychological insecurity in society.' Social media users have also expressed differing opinions on the connection between poverty and theft. A significant number of users consider the resort to violence by thieves as 'the intersection of many crises' in Iran, stating that 'the Islamic Republic is responsible for poverty and insecurity.' Another citizen emphasized that the inefficiencies in authoritarian governments due to reasons such as 'lack of accountability and transparency, extreme concentration of power, self-benefit from rents, and suppression of criticism' target the entire system, writing about the current conditions in Iran: issues such as 'power outages, gas shortages, inflation, currency jumps,' and even the murder of Amir Mohammad Khalighi, a 19-year-old student at Tehran University by robbers 'point the finger at the Islamic Republic as a whole.' However, some argue that incidents like the robbery of a dormitory student and his murder are merely 'not just about bread.' Robbery and theft are among the violent crimes that have increased in recent years in Iran, and some observers attribute this to poverty and insecurity resulting from the actions of government officials. In recent years, experts have repeatedly emphasized that 'class disparities, failure to address major corrupt officials, weaknesses in laws, and lack of motivation among law enforcement' are reasons for the increase in violent theft methods.