Newsbrief: Iran authorities amputate a convict’s finger

(Photo: Getty Images)

by Aloysius Jackson Jr.
edited by Zach Brehmeyer

Iranian authorities cut off a man’s finger after being convicted for theft according to the BBC News.

The man was charged with 28 counts of theft. The amputation took place in a prison in northern Iran.

Saleh Higazi, Amnesty International deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa, said in a statement on Thursday that the premeditated “maiming and mutilation of individuals is not justice,” according to BBC News.

Article 201 of Iran’s Islamic Penal Code allows the following punishments for theft: 

“On the first occasion, amputation of the full length of four fingers of the right hand of the thief in such a manner that the thumb and palm of the hand remain.

“On the second occasion, amputation of the left foot from the end of the knob in such a manner that half of the sole and part of the place of anointing [during ablution] remain.

“On the third occasion, life imprisonment.

“On the fourth occasion, the death penalty even if the theft is committed in prison.”

Between 2007 and 2017, the Iranian authorities issued at least 215 amputation sentences and carried out 125 amputations, including at least six amputations in public, according to International Human Resource Management.

Iran’s Islamic Shariah law stipulates capital punishment for a wide range of crimes, including murder, rape, child molestation, sodomy and drug trafficking.