Iran has sentenced a young man to have four fingers amputated as a punishment for stealing.
The 2nd Branch of the Urmia Criminal Court sentenced Arash Ali Akbari to the amputation of four fingers on his right hand for theft.
The sentence against the 32-year-old father has been upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court and referred to the Centre for the Implementation of Sentences of Urmia in West Azerbaijan province.
The man is sentenced to “have four fingers on his right hand completely cut off so that only the palm of his hand and thumb are left.”
Arash Ali Akbari was arrested in September 2019 for 16 counts of theft and was tried on July 9. He has a diploma and works as a welder. He was deprived of the right to a lawyer of his choice.
Iranian authorities have recently sentenced four other men convicted of robbery to have four fingers amputated.
Hadi Rostami, Mehdi Sharafian, Mehdi Shahivand, and Kasra Karami, who are all aged over 20, were handed the punishment after a failed appeal.
Three of the men were originally tried on November 2 last year on four counts of robbery in the city of Urmia, in northern Iran.
The fourth – Kasra Karami – was sentenced to have his fingers amputated by Criminal Court 1 in West Azerbaijan province in February 2017.
The verdicts against the four men have been referred to the Centre for the Implementation of Sentences. The sentences may be carried out at any moment.
