Abdorrahman Boroumand Center

for Human Rights in Iran

https://www.iranrights.org
Promoting tolerance and justice through knowledge and understanding
Flogging

Public Flogging in Esfahan: Ten Individuals Received Lashes for Alleged Sedition and Corruption

Islamic Republic newspaper / ABF translation
December 23, 2000
Newspaper article

"Esfahan - The reporter of the Islamic Republic newspaper: Ten corrupted and seditious individuals in Esfahan were condemned to lashes, imprisonment, and exile.

These individuals, who are rascals and villains in Esfahan, had harassed public honor [women] in addition to disregarding moral and social values. An intelligence source at the Ideological and Political Section of Esfahan Security Zone told our reporter that these wrongdoers and disturbers of the public order were arrested by agents of Esfahan Emergency Police Center in coordination with judiciary authorities, after residents of Khaneh-e Esfahan and Charbagh-e Bala Street made several complaints.

Mr. Moradian added that, after the case was completed and evidence was forwarded to the judicial authorities, the arrested defendants, some of whom had previous criminal records, were condemned by the Special Court to lashing in public at the location of their crime, exile to places with bad weather, and imprisonment.

He added that the lash ruling against these corrupted individuals and disturbers of the public order was carried out in public at the main square of Khaneh-e Esfahan, Malekshahr, and Charrah-e Nazar in Esfahan where people kept chanting "Allah-o-Akbar" (God is great). ... The average age of these individuals was between 20 to 28 years old."

ABF Note

 

Findings of guilt in the Islamic Republic of Iran's Judicial Proceedings

The Islamic Republic of Iran's criminal justice system regularly falls short of the standards for due process necessary for impartiality, fairness, and efficacy. Suspects are often held incommunicado and not told of the reason for their detainment. Defendants are frequently prohibited from examining the evidence used against them. Defendants are sometimes prohibited from having their lawyers present in court. Additionally, confessions, made under duress or torture, are commonly admitted as proof of guilt. Because Iran's courts regularly disregard principles essential to the proper administration of justice, findings of guilt may not be evaluated with certainty.

Corporal Punishment: the Legal context in the Islamic Republic of Iran

The Islamic Republic's criminal code recognizes corporal punishment for a wide range of offenses: consumption of alcohol, theft, adultery, "flouting" of public morals, and mixing of the sexes in public. Judges have the latitude to mete out corporal punishment for those sentenced to death. In such cases, the flogging is carried out before death to maximize the suffering of defendant. Aside from flogging, the Islamic Republic also employs amputations as a punishment for theft. In such cases, the defendant is taken to a hospital and put under anesthesia as his hand or foot is amputated. In some cases the left foot and right hand are cut off, making it difficult for the condemned to walk, even with the assistance of a cane or crutches.

The Islamic Republic's Systematic Violation of its International Obligations under International Law

The use of corporal punishment is contrary to international law and is addressed in several international agreements. Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which Iran has ratified, states that, "No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment." Identical language is also used in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which Iran is also a party to. The strongest expression of international disapproval is contained in the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT). This treaty defines torture as, "any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as ... punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed." Although the Islamic Republic of Iran has yet to sign the CAT, the prohibition on torture is now considered jus cogens and, therefore, part of customary international law. Furthermore, even though the norm against corporal punishment is not yet a jus cogens, there is increasing evidence that it is illegal under international human rights law.[1] In Osbourne v. Jamaica, the Committee Against Torture (a body of experts responsible for monitoring compliance with the Convention) held that "corporal punishment constitutes cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment contrary to Article 7 of the Convention." The Islamic Republic of Iran's systematic violations of its obligations under international law have been addressed by the UN General Assembly multiple times, most recently in December 2007. In Resolution 62/168, the UN expressed deep concern with Iran's continued flouting of international human rights law, particularly, "confirmed instances of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, including flogging and amputations."