This Country Amputates Thieves' Fingers... "In Accordance with Islamic Law"

Finger Amputation Punishment for Habitual Thieves in Iran
Authorities Defend Legitimacy Despite International Calls for a Halt

As the punishment of finger amputation continues to be carried out repeatedly against thieves in Iran, international criticism is intensifying.

According to AFP, citing Mizan News Agency operated by the Iranian judiciary, on July 31 (local time), three habitual thieves with previous theft convictions had their fingers amputated in West Azerbaijan Province.

It is reported that these individuals received the punishment because they did not cooperate in returning the stolen goods.

Separately, Amnesty International stated that on July 27, Pouya Torabi, an Iranian resident in his late 30s, was urgently transferred to a hospital after having his fingers amputated at Evin Prison in Tehran.

In Iran, based on Sharia (Islamic law), finger amputation can be sentenced for theft depending on the value of the stolen goods and the circumstances of the crime. While this punishment is generally rare, it has reportedly been increasingly applied to habitual offenders recently. Last month, two individuals convicted of theft in Isfahan also had the same punishment carried out.

In response, Iranian human rights groups and the international community have continued to express concern. The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) urged an immediate halt, stating that punishments such as amputation, flogging, and stoning are inhumane under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Iran is a party.

The United Nations also requested in 2022 that the Iranian judiciary halt the execution of finger amputation sentences for eight individuals. At that time, the UN reported that seven of them had been transferred to Evin Prison, where a device for finger amputation was actually installed. This punishment is known to involve amputating the four fingers of the right hand, excluding the thumb.

Human rights organizations have repeatedly demanded that the Iranian government stop such punishments. However, Iranian authorities continue to emphasize the legitimacy of the punishment, arguing that leniency could have been shown if the stolen goods had been returned or if there had been repentance. According to human rights groups, it is estimated that at least 356 cases of finger amputation have been carried out in Iran from the 1979 Islamic Revolution up to 2022.