Amnesty International calls for halt to execution of six prisoners' finger amputation sentences in Iran
Amnesty International has released a report calling for a halt to the imminent execution of the amputations of six prisoners' fingers in Iran.
Amnesty International announced on Thursday, December 4, that it has been informed by the human rights organization that prosecutors and officials at Urmia Central Prison are preparing to bring a guillotine to Urmia Prison to amputate the fingers of six prisoners.
The organization's report states that these six prisoners, named Hadi Rostami, Mehdi Sharafian, Mehdi Shahivand, Kasra Karami, Shahab Teymouri Ayene, and Mehrdad Teymouri Ayene, were convicted of theft after unfair trials and based on confessions obtained under torture.
Amnesty International called on Iranian authorities to immediately halt the execution of these sentences.
“Iranian authorities are once again preparing their torture tools to deliberately maim, disfigure and inflict psychological pain on people through extremely brutal physical punishment,” said Diana Al-Tahawi, Amnesty International’s Deputy Middle East and North Africa Director.
Previously, the Voice of America reported on a ruling issued by the 13th Branch of the Supreme Court on May 12 that the verdict to amputate the four fingers of Hadi Rostami, Mehdi Shahivand, and Mehdi Sharafian Haftcheshmeh, three of these prisoners, on charges of "four counts of theft under the Hadi law," had been confirmed and referred to the Urmia Court of Justice for execution.
The verdict, issued by Ali Shushtari, head of Branch 13 of the Supreme Court, states that, according to Article 268 of the Islamic Penal Code, the defendants were sentenced to "amputate four fingers of their right hand from the end, leaving only the thumb," for four counts of theft.
“Amputation is a judicially sanctioned form of torture and a serious crime under international law. We call on the Iranian authorities to immediately overturn the amputation sentences, eliminate all forms of corporal punishment from the law, and provide effective reparations to victims,” said Diana Al-Tahawi.
The Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International, who believes that the authorities responsible for issuing and implementing such torture should be tried in fair courts, continues the report by calling on the international community, including the European Union and its member states, and UN human rights bodies, to take immediate action to prevent the Iranian authorities from cutting off the fingers of these six people.
This is not the first time that the Islamic Republic of Iran has issued amputation sentences in recent years. Previously, Hossein Raisi, a lawyer and professor at Cullerton University in Canada, told VOA that Iran, as a member of the United Nations that signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in 1986, is obligated to comply with Article 7 of the Covenant, which states that “States Parties shall cease and desist from the practice of corporal punishment that constitutes torture and degrades human dignity, such as amputation and flogging, and shall not include them in their laws.” However, since 1982, the Islamic Republic has been refusing to implement some of its human rights and international obligations by reintroducing these sentences and punishments into its legal system.
It was in late January 2018 that Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, the Attorney General of Iran, described the failure to amputate the thief's hand at a police conference as a "mistake," which, he said, was not done in Iran for fear of "creating an atmosphere" under the guise of "human rights."
The sentences come as corruption in Iran by current and former government officials has grown dramatically in recent years. The United States has repeatedly condemned institutionalized financial corruption and the plunder of Iran’s God-given assets by regime affiliates, citing them as key factors in Iran’s economic and financial problems.
Source: Voice of America
