Hand it to Iran to cut thief's limb
Source: Agencies |
October 25, 2010, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
IRANIAN authorities have amputated the hand of a convicted thief in front of other prisoners, state radio reported yesterday, in a possible step toward restoring the punishment to common use and carrying it out in public.
Cutting off the hands of thieves - allowed for by the Iranian judiciary's strict reading of Islamic law - has been rare in Iran in recent years, but the amputation reported yesterday was the second this month. And a week ago, a judge ordered the same punishment for a man who stole from a candy shop, though there has been no public word on whether that sentence has been carried out.
Yesterday's report said the 32-year-old convict, whose hand was cut off at a prison in the central city of Yazd, had committed four robberies and other crimes. It did not elaborate or identify the prisoner by name. Yazd is 670 kilometers southeast of the capital, Tehran.
There were no details on how the punishment was carried out. There have been conflicting reports in the past, with some saying amputations were done in the early 1980s without any medical procedures. Other reports said they were carried out in the presence of a doctor. A recent news report said they would now be carried out with the prisoner receiving anesthesia.
Fellow inmates ware assembled to witness the amputation, which could be a sign that such punishments will be done before the public in the future.
The punishment has been part of Iran's penal code since 1980, a year after the country's clerical leaders came to power in a revolution.
Cutting off the hands of thieves - allowed for by the Iranian judiciary's strict reading of Islamic law - has been rare in Iran in recent years, but the amputation reported yesterday was the second this month. And a week ago, a judge ordered the same punishment for a man who stole from a candy shop, though there has been no public word on whether that sentence has been carried out.
Yesterday's report said the 32-year-old convict, whose hand was cut off at a prison in the central city of Yazd, had committed four robberies and other crimes. It did not elaborate or identify the prisoner by name. Yazd is 670 kilometers southeast of the capital, Tehran.
There were no details on how the punishment was carried out. There have been conflicting reports in the past, with some saying amputations were done in the early 1980s without any medical procedures. Other reports said they were carried out in the presence of a doctor. A recent news report said they would now be carried out with the prisoner receiving anesthesia.
Fellow inmates ware assembled to witness the amputation, which could be a sign that such punishments will be done before the public in the future.
The punishment has been part of Iran's penal code since 1980, a year after the country's clerical leaders came to power in a revolution.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
