Iran amputates fingers of two men convicted of theft: NGOs

Iranian authorities amputated fingers of two men convicted of theft, rights groups said Wednesday, in a relatively rare use of a punishment allowed under the Islamic republic's penal code but condemned as abhorrent and illegal by activists.

The two, brothers of Kurdish origin, each had four fingers on their right hands amputated by a guillotine machine at the prison in the city of Urmia in northwest Iran on Tuesday, the reports said.

They were then transferred to hospital for medical care, the reports added.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said Shahab and Mehrdad Teimouri were initially arrested in 2019 on theft charges and sentenced to imprisonment and finger amputation.

The Norway-based Hengaw group, which focuses on Iranian Kurdish issues, said that the right to communication and visitation has been denied to the two men since the amputation sentence was carried out.

"Amputations as a form of punishment are banned under international law, specifically under the prohibition of torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment as outlined in the Convention Against Torture and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a signatory," said the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran, referring to two UN agreements.

Finger amputations are permitted in the Islamic republic under its sharia law. According to the US-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Centre, Iranian authorities have amputated the fingers of at least 131 men since January 2000.

But implementation of such sentences has been less frequent in recent years. A man in May 2022 and another theft convict in July 2022 had their fingers amputated in Tehran's Evin prison, according to Amnesty International.

When such sentences are carried out, four fingers of the right hand are cut off so only the palm of the hand and thumb is left.

The reported amputations come as concern grows over the surge in the number of executions in Iran in recent months.

These included this week's hanging of German national of Iranian origin Jamshid Sharmahd. His family says he was abducted by Iranian forces while in the United Arab Emirates in 2020.

According to another Norway-based NGO, Iran Human Rights, Iran has executed 633 people this year alone. Activists accuse the authorities of using capital punishment as a way of instilling fear throughout society.