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for Human Rights in Iran

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Flogging

Three Flogged in Public in Quchan for Disturbing Safety of Hospital

Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA)
Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) / Translation by ABC
April 5, 2017
Newspaper article

Mashhad – The flogging sentences of three persons convicted of disrupting the order and security of Quchan’s Mousa Bin Ja’far Hospital and sowing fear and terror among the citizenry were carried out in public on Wednesday.

Three of those who had disrupted public order three days ago by bringing a group brawl into Quchan’s Mousa Bin Ja’far Hospital and frightening citizens, hospital staff, patients, and shift doctors with knives and daggers, were punished in public at the order of the town’s prosecutor.

The Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor of Quchan told a group of reporters just before the sentences were carried out that “Brawling is one kind of crime, and even worse than [ordinary] brawling is the sort that winds up in medical facilities.”

Ramezan Ali Azeri noted that brawling which enters medical facilities causes emotional and physical damage and will bring anxiety along with it. “The sentences of these three offenders will be carried out in public owing to the fact that they violated the sanctity of the hospital. All persons who commit such actions will be met with a decisive response and their sentences carried out in public,” he added.

Prosecutor Azeri stressed that brawls destroy a community’s reputation. “Despite a decrease in cases of crime in the past two years, we’ve unfortunately seen a great deal of brawling this year compared to past numbers in this jurisdiction. The judiciary will meet such people who disturb public security with a firm response.”

Quchan is located 145 kilometers from the holy city of Mashhad.

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."