A Tehran court sentenced two individuals to finger amputation as punishment for a theft that occurred in June 2022, when 13 individuals, allegedy including the two principal defendants, arranged a robbery at the National Bank of Iran. The group proceeded to flee the nation following the theft, however, Turkish officials ultimately apprehended them and sent them back to Iran.

The sentence, in accordance with Iran’s Islamic Penal Code, is part of a broader framework of corporal punishment that has been used to address crimes such as theft. While amputation is legally sanctioned in Iran, this practice contradicts various international legal standards, especially human rights obligations under treaties that Iran is party to.

Iran is a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which expressly prohibits inhumane and degrading treatment, including torture. Article 7 of the ICCPR forbids any form of cruel or degrading punishment. The amputation of fingers, as a form of retributive justice, is seen as inconsistent with the principle of human dignity upheld by the ICCPR.

Although Iran is not a party to the United Nations Convention Against Torture, the country are regardless bound by international norms and standards regarding the treatment of prisoners and criminals. Iranian courts continue to impose amputation penalties in defiance of these duties, indicating a significant discrepancy between Iranian domestic legislation and its international commitments.

Amnesty International has been a strong opponent of amputations. The organisation urged Iranian officials to be held responsible for these abuses and denounced the amputation of fingers as “cruel, inhuman, and degrading” in a 2022 report. Amnesty highlights the long-term psychological and physical suffering inflicted upon those who receive this punishment, as well as the duty of the international community to demand that such practices be abolished in Iran.