Press releases
Man in Iran blinded in one eye in 'unspeakably cruel' retribution punishment
The ‘unspeakably cruel and shocking’ punishment was carried out on Tuesday
The deliberate blinding of a man who was convicted of pouring acid on another man’s face causing him to go blind is the latest a gruesome example of Iran’s brutal justice system, said Amnesty International.
The man was forcibly blinded in his left eye on 3 March after being sentenced to “retribution-in-kind” (qesas) for throwing acid in the eyes of another man in the city of Qom in August 2009. The blinding of his right eye was postponed until a later date. In addition to this punishment he was ordered to pay “blood money” (diyah) and sentenced to ten years in prison.
Meanwhile, the punishment of another Iranian man, who was sentenced to being blinded and made deaf in a similar “retribution-in-kind” punishment that was also due to be implemented on 3 March, has been postponed until next month.
Amnesty is urging the Iranian authorities to immediately stop carrying out these cruel punishments and only implement sentences in line with international human rights law. They must also initiate public education campaigns aimed at preventing acts of violence including acid attacks, and ensure that survivors of such attacks are provided with effective remedies, including psycho-social and medical rehabilitation.
Amnesty International’s Iran Researcher Raha Bahreini said:
“Punishing someone by deliberately blinding them is an unspeakably cruel and shocking act.“This punishment exposes the utter brutality of Iran’s justice system and underlines the Iranian authorities’ shocking disregard for basic humanity.“Meting out cruel and inhuman retribution punishments is not justice. Blinding, like stoning, amputation and flogging, is a form of corporal punishment prohibited by international law. Such punishments should not be carried out under any circumstances.“The fact that in the weeks leading to their session before the UN Human Rights Council the Iranian authorities have scheduled the execution of child offender Saman Naseem, carried out the execution of six Sunni men after grossly unfair trials, transferred an ailing prisoner of conscience Atena Farghadani to solitary confinement, and now carried out this macabre punishment - speaks volumes about the hollowness of Iran’s rhetoric on reform and human rights.”