Two Imprisoned Brothers in Urmia at Risk of Finger Amputation for Alleged Theft

A human rights activist and former political prisoner reported that two imprisoned brothers named Shahab Taimouri and Mehrdad Taimouri are at risk of having "four fingers of their right hand" amputated. According to the report, five other prisoners in Urmia are also awaiting execution of amputation sentences. Arash Sadeghi, a former political prisoner and human rights activist, wrote on the social media platform X 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 Taimouri were sentenced to amputation of their right fingers for "one instance of theft" in August 2019 at the First Branch of the Criminal Court of Urmia, which is designated for children and adolescents. Although their appointed lawyers protested this ruling and the case was sent to Branch 24 of the Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic, the Supreme Court upheld the ruling in April 2020. According to this human rights activist, Shahab and Mehrdad Taimouri are imprisoned in the Islamabad-e Gharb prison in Kermanshah province and were transferred to solitary confinement in the central prison of Urmia on November 2. Mr. Sadeghi also mentioned that the transfer of these two prisoners 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 the report, Mehrdad Taimouri was born on September 21, 1990, and Shahab Taimouri was born on June 9, 1975, in Sarpol-e Zahab, and they had been residing in Karaj. They were arrested on December 6, 2018, in Malard County. This human rights activist also reported that currently five other prisoners in Urmia named Hadi Rostami, Mahdi Sharafian, Mahdi Shahivand, Kasra Karami, and Morteza Esmaeiliyan are imprisoned with sentences of finger amputation. The issuance and execution of amputation sentences based on Article 278 of the Islamic Penal Code has been carried out multiple times by the judicial authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Furthermore, it has been reported that the issuance of sentences that violate human dignity has intensified; a request for "hand amputation" for eight thieves in Tehran has been made. The hand amputation 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 inhumane and degrading punishments is prohibited. Nevertheless, the Islamic Republic continues to implement such punishments, disregarding domestic and international protests.