Three individuals caught for theft, face severe punishment in Iran: loss of hands as result.
Iran's sharia-based penal code, introduced after the Islamic revolution in 1979, permits amputation as a punishment for certain offences, such as theft. This brutal practice remains legal and actively enforced, particularly for repeat offenders.
Article 278 of the Islamic Penal Code allows for amputation of fingers as a Hudud punishment for crimes including theft. Recently, in July and August 2025, Iranian authorities publicly amputated the fingers of several men convicted of theft, using mechanized "guillotine machines" in prison settings after trials widely criticized as unfair and lacking due process.
The use of amputation as a punishment in Iran is relatively rare and generally reserved for repeat offenders. For instance, three individuals were convicted of stealing gold jewellery across four provinces. They were arrested several years ago while committing a theft in the city of Urmia, West Azerbaijan province. The sentence of hand amputation was carried out in accordance with the sharia-based penal code.
The stolen items were primarily several kilogrammes of gold, and since their arrest, the individuals did not cooperate with attempts to negotiate the return of the stolen goods. Cooperation could have allowed them to benefit from legal leniency and repentance, according to the judiciary's Mizan Online website.
Human rights groups have condemned the use of amputation in Iran as cruel and inhumane. Organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International label these acts as torture and violations of international human rights treaties, specifically citing Iran’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which bans cruel, inhuman, or degrading punishment, although Iran has not ratified the UN Convention against Torture.
Despite widespread international condemnation, the application of amputation continues. Last month, authorities amputated the hands of two men who had been repeatedly convicted of theft. Calls from global human rights groups urge Iran to abolish this practice and provide reparations to victims, but the legal basis and enforcement continue uninterrupted under Islamic Penal Code provisions enacted post-revolution.
References:
- Amnesty International. (2025). Iran: Iran must end use of amputation as punishment for theft. [online] Available at: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/08/iran-must-end-use-of-amputation-as-punishment-for-theft/
- Human Rights Watch. (2025). Iran: End Use of Amputation as Punishment for Theft. [online] Available at: https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/08/01/iran-end-use-amputation-punishment-theft
- Mizan Online. (2025). Three thieves sentenced to hand amputation in West Azerbaijan. [online] Available at: https://www.mizanonline.ir/fa/news/1403091
- Mizan Online. (2025). Amputation of hands of two thieves in West Azerbaijan. [online] Available at: https://www.mizanonline.ir/fa/news/1403090
- Despite international condemnation and violation of human rights treaties, Iran, especially in UAE news, continues to implement amputation as a punishment for theft, as recently seen in the public amputation of two men's hands in July and August 2025.
- Last month, the UAE general-news featured reports of three individuals, who stole gold jewellery across four provinces and were arrested in the city of Urmia, receiving hand amputation sentences in accordance with Iran's sharia-based penal code, as stated on the judiciary's Mizan Online website.
- Human rights groups such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, in their crime-and-justice investigations, have labeled the use of amputation as torture and violations of international human rights treaties, even citing Iran’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), though Iran has not ratified the UN Convention against Torture.
