Accusation of ‘Corruption on Earth’ and Death Penalty Approved in Acid Attack Punishment Enhancement Bill
While acid attack victims are “seeking to stop the cycle of violence,” an additional clause imposing the charge of “Corruption on Earth” (Fasad-fi-Alarz), which carries the death penalty, was approved by members of the parliamentary Majlis in the acid attack punishment enhancement bill.
Members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly on Sunday, June 19, during the review of details of the acid attack punishment enhancement bill in an open session, approved an additional clause to article one of the bill, which according to ISNA states that “if acid throwing is carried out with the intent to intimidate and create insecurity in society in a way that causes insecurity in the community; the perpetrator is considered to have committed Corruption on Earth and shall be sentenced accordingly.”
The approval of the death penalty in this bill comes at a time when acid attack victims have stated that execution is not their demand.
Previously, Marzieh Ebrahimi, one of the acid attack victims in Isfahan, had said that they are seeking to “stop the cycle of violence” rather than execution.
Nevertheless, Fatema Hosseini, a parliamentary representative, had announced support for retribution of life or limb in the matter of enhancing acid attack punishments.
Parliamentary representatives today voted in favor of adding this clause to the bill with 161 votes in favor, 9 votes against, and 9 abstentions out of a total of 245 representatives present. The bill will become law after approval by the Guardian Council.
According to Islamic Penal Code, the most severe punishment for the charge of Corruption on Earth is execution.
Approval of the death penalty for acid attacks comes at a time when one-third of the world’s executions are carried out in Iran, and according to Amnesty International’s report, a total of 253 executions were carried out in Iran last year, which is more than one-third of all recorded executions in the world.
Source: Voice of America
