The Iranian Judiciary sentenced four people to lashes in Tehran for economic crimes, in addition to other punishments.
According to the state-run Etemad Online website, the four men were identified as Hassan Ghorbani, Mehdi Bahrami, Mohsen Ghorbani and Mohsen Hatami-Nejad. They were charged with “participation in disrupting the economic system.” All four were sentenced to lashes, confiscation of their belongings and prison. Hassan was sentenced to 20 years of prison, Mehdi to 12 years of prison and Mohsen Ghorbani and Mohsen Hatami-Nejad were sentenced to 10 years of prison.
The Iranian regime is one of the few states that still uses degrading punishments, even though all international civil and political rights conventions have prohibited the use of inhumane punishments such as execution and flogging.
Flogging is also regularly handed out by the regime to its political opponents including protesters, and dissidents.
In December 2018, an Iranian MP encouraged the use of flogging and execution for “economic offenders”.
“If two people are thoroughly flogged and if two people are executed in a timely manner for controlling the market, it will be a lesson for everyone else,” Aziz Akbarian said in an interview with the state-run Alborz Radio.
“The law to counter those who disrupt the country’s economic system states that if someone intends to hurt the (ruling) system or has knowledge of such a consequence, their punishment is death,” he said.
The Judicial official also said that the Supreme Leader had issued bylaws specifying how the Judiciary was allowed to accelerate the punishment for economic offenses.
Source » irannewswire