Judiciary of Khorasan Responds to Criticism Over Hand Severing of a Thief: 'There Are No Alternatives to Sharia Punishments'

The head of the judiciary in Khorasan Razavi province threatened to sue those criticizing the institution for the severing of a thief's hand, stating that there are no alternatives to 'Sharia punishments.' According to a video released by the official news agency of the judiciary, on Sunday, February 4, Ali Mozaffari announced that this individual and his accomplices had been stealing livestock, carpets, motorcycles, gold, and anything of financial value for a year by drilling through the walls of 26 houses. He also mentioned that 16 conditions 'predicted in Sharia' regarding the severing of a thief's hand were applicable to this individual, and his sentence was confirmed by the Supreme Court. The newspaper 'Khorasan' reported that on Wednesday, January 17, a thief's hand was severed in the central prison of Mashhad with a guillotine. According to this report, the condemned individual is a 34-year-old man named 'Ali-Kh,' who was identified and arrested six years ago and confessed to 21 cases of livestock theft in four cities of Razavi Khorasan and South Khorasan provinces. The publication of this news prompted reactions, with some media outlets and members of parliament comparing this action to light prison sentences or the lack of punishment for embezzlers. Among them, Mohammad Ali Pourmokhtaran, a principlist member of parliament, stated, 'Embezzlers should not escape punishment in various ways while sentences like hand severing are executed against others.' Yahya Kamali-Pour, a member of the parliamentary judicial commission, also emphasized that 'in the country, we witness billion-dollar embezzlements, rent-seeking, special privileges, and crimes that are much heavier and far more destructive than a theft in Mashhad.' Mr. Kamali-Pour also stated that 'it would have been better if the judge had chosen another sentence instead of hand severing.' However, the head of the judiciary in Khorasan Razavi said that there are no alternatives to 'Sharia punishments' and that alternative punishments are only applied to light prison sentences. He also noted that 'the right to sue is reserved for the judiciary regarding those who attacked this case.' Ahmad Alamolhoda, the Friday prayer leader of Mashhad, also stated on January 21 that 'the Sharia punishment that the judiciary implements in Mashhad is not more than in other cities of the country, but because it has occurred in Mashhad, it is suppressed under various titles.' Punishments such as amputation, blinding criminals, or flogging, which are recognized in Islamic penal law, have always faced severe criticism from international organizations and human rights activists. The International Covenant Against Torture and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which are based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, prohibit 'the use of inhumane punishments' such as amputation. United Nations special rapporteurs have repeatedly accused Iran of human rights violations based on these covenants in their reports. In the latest report of this kind prepared by Asma Jahangir, the UN special rapporteur on Iran, it was mentioned that Iran still employs retribution, amputation, and blinding in its punishments. Meanwhile, Abdolkarim Lahiji, honorary president of the International Federation for Human Rights, previously stated in an interview with Radio Farda that the amputation punishment is only applied by the Islamic Republic and Saudi Arabia, and it was previously implemented in Sudan and by the Taliban in Afghanistan.