Judiciary Defends Execution of Finger Amputation; Claims It Was 'Divine Punishment'

Asghar Jahangir, spokesperson for the judiciary, defended the execution of the sentence of finger amputation for two thieves in Urmia during his meeting with reporters today, stating that it was 'completely within the framework of divine limits.' This judicial official asserted that the implementation of Islamic limits is not subject to suspension and emphasized that the ruling was issued within the framework of laws. Recently, on November 6, a human rights activist and former political prisoner reported that two imprisoned brothers named Shahab Timouri and Mehrdad Timouri are at risk of having 'four fingers of their right hand amputated.' According to this report, five other prisoners in Urmia are also awaiting execution of similar amputation sentences. Arash Sadeghi, a former political prisoner and human rights activist, wrote on social media on Sunday, November 6, that the risk of executing the 'finger amputation' sentence for these two imprisoned brothers has increased following their transfer to solitary confinement. Shahab and Mehrdad Timouri were sentenced to have 'four fingers of their right hand amputated' for a single theft charge in a court session held in August 2019 at the First Criminal Court 'Special for Children and Adolescents' in Urmia. Although their appointed lawyers appealed this ruling, the case was sent to Branch 24 of the Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic, which upheld the ruling in April 2020. According to this human rights activist, Shahab and Mehrdad Timouri are imprisoned in Islamabad-e Gharb prison in Kermanshah province and were transferred to solitary confinement in Urmia Central Prison on November 2. Sadeghi also stated that this transfer occurred 'after they were examined by the forensic medical team' in Urmia, and 'concerns about the execution of the sentence of amputation of four fingers of their right hand' have increased. According to this report, Mehrdad Timouri was born on September 21, 1990, and Shahab Timouri was born on June 9, 1975, in Sarpol-e Zahab, and they had been residing in Karaj before being arrested on December 6, 2018, in Malard County. This human rights activist also reported that 'currently, five other prisoners in Urmia named Hadi Rostami, Mehdi Sharafian, Mehdi Shahivand, Kasra Karami, and Morteza Ismailian are also imprisoned with sentences of finger amputation.' The issuance and execution of amputation sentences based on Article 278 of the Islamic Penal Code have been carried out multiple times by judicial authorities in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The sentence of hand amputation is one of the punishments that has been widely criticized by international organizations due to its contradiction with human dignity. According to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the imposition of inhuman and degrading punishments is prohibited. Nevertheless, the Islamic Republic continues to carry out such punishments, disregarding domestic and international protests. Previously, Hassan Nayeb Hashem, a human rights activist, stated in an interview with Voice of America: 'The sentence of finger amputation, like other judicial sentences of the Islamic Republic, is contrary to global regulations.'