Shirin Ebadi: The Barbaric Sentence of Hand Cutting in Iran Must Be Abolished

Shirin Ebadi, head of the Human Rights Defenders Center and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, described the issuance and execution of the hand-cutting sentence in Iran as a "medieval relic and a barbaric, inhuman punishment" on Wednesday, January 5, emphasizing the need for the permanent abolition of this "barbaric sentence." In her Instagram post, she referred to the protests from human rights defenders and various social and political groups against this barbaric and inhuman punishment, stating that the judiciary responded to the volume of protests and criticisms by declaring that "given the lack of a religious and legal prohibition for numbing a limb in the execution of the punishment for a thief or a fighter, referring to the general principle of 'asalat al-ibaha', this act is permissible." This statement from the Judiciary's Legal Department was published by several news agencies on Wednesday. Ebadi noted, "Undoubtedly, similar to all sentences issued for criminals who are not affiliated with the government, this issue cannot be considered a mercy. However, the noteworthy point is that this statement indicates an increase in the condemnation and execution of this inhuman punishment in the country." She added, "Once, countries like Saudi Arabia were mocked for such punishments; now, in practice, the Islamic Republic is at the forefront of cutting the hands of criminals." The head of the Human Rights Defenders Center emphasized, "The only acceptable decision regarding the punishment of limb cutting is the permanent abolition of this barbaric sentence, and numbing the condemned will not diminish its ugliness." The issuance and execution of limb-cutting punishments based on Article 278 of the Islamic Penal Code have been repeatedly carried out by the judicial authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The hand-cutting sentence is one of the punishments that has faced widespread criticism from 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 implement such punishments, disregarding domestic and international protests, and defends them. In this context, Asghar Jahangir, the spokesperson for the judiciary, defended the execution of the sentence for cutting the fingers of two thieves in Urmia on November 15, calling it "completely within the framework of divine limits." The execution of the sentence for cutting four fingers of the right hand of two brothers named Mehrdad and Shahab Timouri was carried out with a guillotine on November 8 of this year. Mehdi Hajati, a lawyer, stated in an interview with the newspaper 'Shargh' on November 16, "Corporal punishments like flogging and limb cutting have long been obsolete based on findings in criminal sciences." He added, "Criminal law scholars do not consider limb cutting, which leaves a permanent mark on the condemned's body and is, in fact, a sign of their past criminality and conviction, to have a positive effect; because these punishments have not only lost their function in today's world and in modern criminal law, but also conflict with the goals of rehabilitating and reintegrating offenders." Abdolsamad Khormashahi, another lawyer, also stated on November 12 in an interview with the newspaper 'Etemad', "Over the years and up to this date, we have seen that the execution of harsh punishments has not had a deterrent effect, and if it has, it has been temporary and short-lived." He emphasized, "The current bad economic conditions and financial problems of individuals drive them towards crimes." This lawyer called for "efforts to alleviate individuals' financial problems to reduce crime rates" because "a hungry stomach has no religion or faith." The newspaper 'Etemad' reported on November 12, based on its investigations, that "the execution of the sentence for cutting the fingers of thieves has been carried out since 1386 (2007) and during this period, at least 21 thieves have faced the execution of finger or foot cutting." The newspaper 'Arman Emrooz' reported on November 15, citing official statistics, that more than 50% of thieves are first-time offenders and commit theft for the first time in their lives. The accusation of "corruption on earth" for the first and second row defendants of the National Bank theft. The judiciary's defense of the execution of the "finger cutting" sentence; execution was "divine limits." Two imprisoned brothers in Urmia are at risk of having their fingers cut due to the accusation of "one instance" of theft. The intensification of the issuance of sentences that violate human dignity; the request for "hand cutting" of eight thieves in Tehran.