A Red Flag for Gross Human Rights Violations
Human rights organizations have warned of the imminent execution of amputation sentences for five prisoners in the prisons of Urmia and Tabriz. These individuals, all convicted of theft, are facing one of the harshest and most inhumane physical punishments, as the Supreme Court of Iran has upheld rulings for the amputation of four fingers of their right hands. These sentences, issued under the so-called “Islamic hadd punishment for theft,” have once again drawn international attention to the Iranian judiciary’s practices.
The five prisoners — Morteza Esmaeilian, Hadi Rostami, Mehdi Shahivand, Mehdi Sharafian, and Kasra Karami — have received final and confirmed amputation sentences. In a recent development on June 8, 2025, three of these prisoners (Rostami, Shahivand, and Sharafian) were transferred to the execution ward and threatened with imminent amputation unless the plaintiffs grant their consent within one week. Informed sources also reported that the prisoners were forced to sign documents under duress, indicating preparations by the authorities to carry out the punishment promptly.
This situation unfolds as Morteza Esmaeilian, the father of two children, has been imprisoned since 2013 on theft charges. In June 2025, he was transferred from Urmia Prison to Tabriz Prison — an act that human rights activists interpret as part of the preparation for executing the sentence.
Previous cases have shown that such punishments are often carried out suddenly and swiftly. For example, on October 29, 2024, the sentence of amputating four fingers from two brothers, Shahab and Mehrdad Teymouri, was implemented in Urmia Prison, despite widespread domestic and international protests. Additionally, on June 9, 2025, a senior judiciary official in Isfahan Province announced the execution of amputation sentences for two more prisoners in Isfahan Central Prison.
According to sources close to the families of the prisoners, the judicial processes leading to these sentences have frequently violated fair trial standards, including lack of access to independent legal counsel and insufficient evidence. Nevertheless, the Supreme Court has confirmed the sentences without addressing these serious procedural flaws.
