A semi-official news agency in Iran reported that authorities have amputated the hand of a convicted thief in a prison in the country’s northeast. The report from the ISNA news agency says one hand of the 34-year-old convict — identified only as Ali — was cut off by “guillotine” in a prison in Mashhad, some 900 km northeast of the capital Tehran. Thursday’s report said Ali was detained in 2011 for allegedly stealing sheep, jewellery and motorbikes. Iran’s judiciary uses a strict interpretation of Islamic law in handing down such sentences. Cutting off the hands of thieves, however, has been rare in the recent years.

Source: Hindustan Times January 19, 2018 07:30 UTC