Iran authorities amputate man’s hand as punishment for thefts

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – An Iranian man charged with 28 counts of theft had his hand amputated at a prison in the northern province of Mazandaran on Thursday, the local judiciary announced.

A judicial statement from Mazandaran said the gruesome punishment had been carried out at Sari Prison in the northern Iranian province under Article 198 of the Islamic Republic’s Penal Code, according to Fars News Agency, an outlet close to the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The man was also charged with possession and sale of drugs as well as selling stolen property. The judicial statement claimed the man had robbed 28 houses in the city of Mahmudabad.

“The policy of the judiciary is to seriously, without hesitation, confront those who disturb the public order and the security of the society and those who steal people’s properties,” the Mazandaran judiciary said.

Article 198 of the Islamic Republic’s Penal Code has a number of conditions for the amputation sentence. Among the main conditions is that the individual being punished is sane, not coerced, and had not committed the crime at a time of famine.

Economic crimes like theft have been on the rise in Iran as US sanctions on the nation’s economy, particularly those targeting its oil and banking sectors, take their toll on the public’s purchasing power. 

Iran has been controlled by a strict Islamic theocracy since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Amputation of hands is a prescribed punishment for thieves in Islam’s holy book, the Quran. 

Iran’s rival Saudi Arabia also implements such medieval punishments. Most modern Islamic countries, however, have justice systems compatible with international human rights law. 

Another man had his hand amputated by guillotine in January 2018 after he was convicted of stealing livestock. 


Amnesty International’s Deputy Middle East and North Africa Director Saleh Higazi condemned Thursday’s amputation.

“By carrying out this unspeakably cruel punishment, the Iranian authorities have committed torture which is a crime under international law. As a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and also under customary international law, Iran is legally obliged to forbid torture in all circumstances and without exception,” Higazi said.

“Reforms to Iran’s penal code that would put an end to this outrageous practice are long overdue. Iranian parliamentarians must immediately undertake reforms to abolish all forms of corporal punishment and move towards a criminal justice system that treats prisoners humanely and focuses on rehabilitation.”

“Premeditated maiming and mutilation of individuals is not justice. It is a harrowing assault against human dignity. It is shameful that the authorities would attempt to present this punishment as anything other than what it is: an abhorrent form of torture,” Higazi added.  

Iran is also among the world’s most prolific executioners. Most Iranians who are put to death are from the country’s ethnic minorities, including Kurds, Baluchis, Arab Ahwazis, and Azerbaijani Turks. 

Child offenders are also executed by the Iranian regime. Two 17-year-olds were among the 173 people executed by the state by mid-July 2019, a UN expert said Wednesday.  

There were also seven reported cases of executions of child offenders in 2018, Javaid Rehman, the UN special rapporteur to monitor human rights in Iran, told the UN General Assembly.

There are currently around 90 individuals on death row under the age of 18 at the time of their alleged offences, he said.

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