02 August 2025 :
July 30, 2025 - IRAN. Iran authorities carried out the finger amputation sentences of 3 men in Urmia Central Prison
Hadi Rostami, Mehdi Sharifian and Mehdi Shahivand.
Condemning the cruel and inhumane punishment in the strongest terms, Iran Human Rights calls for international pressure on Iran to abolish such medieval punishments.
IHR Director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said: “The international community must not tolerate the implementation of medieval and degrading sentences like finger amputations in the 21st century.” He added: “Amputation sentences are carried out with the aim of intimidating the public, targeting the most vulnerable segments of society under theft charges, while officials and those in power who issue such sentences, continue to embezzle and commit mass corruption without any accountability.”
According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, three men were transferred from their wards in Urmia (Darya) Central Prison at around 10pm on 30 July 2025, and their fingers were amputated around midnight. Their identities have been established as 39-year-old Hadi Rostami, 41-year-old Mehdi Sharifian and 29-year-old Mehdi Shahivand. The three men were arrested between August 2017-November 2019 and charged with theft in a joint case.
Per documents obtained by IHR, the three men were sentenced to “amputation of four fingers from the right hand from the base, so that the thumb remains,” despite their testimony that their confessions had been extracted under torture. Their sentence was subsequently upheld by Branch 13 of the Supreme Court in 2020.
An informed source told IHR that the three men were transferred out of the ward with handcuffs, shackles and hoods around 10pm on 30 July. “The amputations were carried out around midnight with a mechanical guillotine after anaesthetic injections were administered.”
“They were returned to their cells with their bandaged hands a few hours later,” the source added.
In a letter written from prison in March 2025, Hadi Rostami asserted: "I have repeatedly stated that I have no knowledge of the 22 cases of theft attributed to me in the case. But in the detention centre of the Urmia Criminal Investigation Department, I was subjected to severe torture and forced to sign blank papers. Yet, I continued to insist that I had no knowledge of the charges, but my voice wasn’t heard."
IHR had previously warned of the three men’s amputation sentences being carried out and in recent months, called on the international community for urgent action to stop the amputations.
Punishments such as amputation and flogging constitute cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment and amount to torture under international human rights standards. These practices are strictly prohibited under international law. The Islamic Republic has, in some cases, issued and carried out amputation sentences for crimes as minor as stealing five sheep.
https://iranhr.net/en/articles/7823/
