The teens - identified by Iran International TV as Hadi Rostami, Mehdi Sharafian and Mehdi Shahivand - were reportedly ordered to have four fingers on their right hands severed. But Nargess Tavalossian, legal analyst and journalist at Iran International TV, said amputation as a form of punishment is rare in Iran. Iranian authorities have generally defended the form of punishment, saying it is the most effective means of deterring theft. In 2018, a man in Iran had his hand amputated after being convicted of theft, Amnesty International reported. The man was sentenced to hand amputation for stealing livestock and other valuables from several villages in the province.

Source: Daily Mirror September 19, 2020 01:30 UTC