Iran amputates hands of two thieves in Isfahan

Iran has carried out amputation sentences on two people convicted of theft in Isfahan Central Prison, the head of the Isfahan Justice Department announced on Tuesday.

Asadollah Jaafari, who did not identify the two men, described them as "professional thieves” with multiple convictions as well as crimes such as destruction and intentional harm.

He added that the sentences were carried out "after undergoing legal procedures in the prosecutor's office, the preliminary court, and the provincial appeals court, with final confirmation of the verdict by the Supreme Court."

However, Jaafari did not provide specific details regarding the specific charges.

International human rights organizations have consistently condemned such punishments.

In April, Mai Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, told Iran International in an interview that "corporal punishment, including amputation, is absolutely prohibited under international law. And if executed, will amount to torture or ill-treatment."

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Iran is a signatory, explicitly prohibits inhumane or degrading punishments. Human rights advocates argue that amputation sentences violate the fundamental principle of human dignity enshrined in international law.

At least 237 individuals in Iran were sentenced to amputation between 1 January 2000 and 24 September 2020, with at least 129 of those sentences carried out, according to Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office.

According to Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, Iran's judiciary chief, "If theft is proven under the conditions set by Islam, the thief's fingers must be amputated."