The Iranian authorities must immediately halt imminent plans to amputate the fingers of six men convicted of robbery following unfair trials and torture-tainted “confessions”, said Amnesty International in a detailed analysis released today.
On Nov 27, 2020, a source familiar with the case of Hadi Rostami informed the Kurdistan Human Rights Network that “Hadi Rostami” and two other prisoners known as “Mehdi Sharafian” and “Mehdi Shahivand” are all sentenced to amputation for “robbery”. According to this source, on Wednesday, Nov 25, 2020, Touraj Mokhtari, the supervising judge of Orumiyeh Prison, told the prisoner that the Office for the Enforcement of Judgments and prison officials had requested for the delivery a guillotine machine to the prison.
Amnesty International’s report also reveals horrific statistics provided by a human rights group, the Abdul Rahman Boroumand Foundation. According to these statistics, Iranian authorities have, on average, amputated at least one person every two months, and flogged at least two people each week over the past two decades.
Amnesty International has learned that prosecutors and officials at Orumiyeh Central Prison are making the arrangements for the delivery of the guillotine to prison to amputate the fingers of six men, Hadi Rostami, Mehdi Sharafian, Mehdi Shahivand, Kasra Karami, Shahab Teymouri Ayneh and Mehrdad Teymouri Ayneh.
“Iranian authorities are once again preparing their instruments of torture to intentionally mutilate people through extremely cruel, corporal punishment,” said Diana Al-Tahawi, Amnesty International’s deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa.
“Amputation is torture with a judicial seal and a serious crime under international law. We urge the Iranian authorities to immediately overturn the amputation sentences, remove all forms of corporal punishment from the law, and effectively compensate the victims.”, he added.According to the punishment provided for certain types of robbery in the Islamic Penal Code, all six men were sentenced to amputation of their right-hand fingers for robbery. The trials of these men were extremely unfair. During the investigations, they were deprived access to a lawyer, and the courts issued sentences based on confessions obtained under torture.
Concerns about the enforcement of the amputation sentences have risen as Tehran prosecutors recently flogged workers’ rights activist Davood Rafiei on December 24 for “insulting” the Labour Minister.
“Amnesty International calls on the international community, including the European Union and its member states, and the United Nations human rights bodies, to take immediate action to prevent the Iranian authorities from amputating the fingers of these six people,” Diana al-Tahawi said.
“The judiciary, prosecutors and prison authorities responsible for issuing and carrying out such torture must be tried in a fair trial.”, he added.
According to the Abdul Rahman Boroumand Foundation, over the past two decades, Iranian authorities have amputated at least 129 people and flogged at least 2,134 people, including 17 children.
