Brutal Justice: Iran Blinds Acid Attacker

A man who threw acid into a man's face had his eye gouged out by the authorities under Iran's brutal justice system.
The prisoner, identified as Hamid, also had an ear cut off for an alleged attack on Davoud Roushanaei, who was badly disfigured by the attack.

The man was forcibly blinded in his left eye on March 3 after being sentenced to qesas, or 'retribution-in-kind' for throwing acid into the eyes of another man in the city of Qom in August 2009.

It is not known if doctors took out the eye or if the savage act was carried out by the victim - his right under qesas.

Iranian newspaper Hamshahri reported that the man had been hired by the relatives of his victim’s wife.

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 10 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 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, and now carried out this macabre punishment - speaks volumes about the hollowness of Iran’s rhetoric on reform and human rights.”

Iranian authorities are attempting to discourage acid attacks after a spate of assaults against women in the city of Isfahan.