Window: Execution of Eye-for-Eye Punishment for a Convict in Iran

In the past week, an eye-for-eye punishment was carried out in Tehran; a sentence of retribution for a convict who, according to Iranian judicial officials, blinded a four-year-old girl seven years ago by splashing lime on her. The execution of such sentences in Iran has repeatedly faced severe criticism from the international community and human rights advocates, being described as 'inhumane and contrary to international law,' while officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran assert that these sentences are in accordance with Islamic Sharia and the Islamic Penal Code. According to official Iranian media, at least 12 people were executed in various cities last week, while the Norway-based Iran Human Rights Organization reported the number as 26; most of these executions were related to drug trafficking, a crime that international bodies argue is not considered a major crime under global laws and should not warrant the death penalty. The hunger strike of political and ideological prisoners in Iran, including Arash Sadeghi, Mehdi Rajabian, Hossein Rajabian, and Ali Shariati, continues.