An Iranian jailed for multiple thefts had both hands amputated in a prison located in northern Iran, local judicial authorities stated last Thursday.
The act was immediately condemned by Amnesty international.
The man had admitted 28 counts of theft and the amputation took place on Wednesday in the town of Sari, the justice department in the province of Mazandaran stated.
In a press release published on their web site, the local judicial authorities confirmed that this "professional thief" had committed his crimes in the city of Mahmoudabad on the Caspian Sea and its environs. They did not reveal his identity.
"The premeditated mutilation of individuals is not (an act of) justice. It is an appalling violation of human dignity," Saleh Higazi, the assistant director of Amnesty in the Middle East and North Africa, declared.
"Reforms to the Iranian penal code that could put an end to these scandalous practices should have been instigated a long time ago," he added.
According to the Iranian penal code, based on sharia law, amputation is intended to punish crimes like repeated theft.
The Brussels Times
