An Iranian young man on Tuesday was given 80 strokes of the cane for drinking alcohol as a teenager.
The public flogging took place in Niazmand Square, Kashmar, Razavi Khorasan province, where the man, identified simply as M. R., was flogged 80 times on his back.
Domestic media outlets have posted a picture showing the young man tied to a tree as he was flogged by a masked man, with a crowd of people watching at a distance.
According to the Public Prosecutor of Kashmar, M. R. consumed alcohol during a wedding where an argument caused a fight that resulted in the death of a 17-year-old.
The public prosecutor conceded that M.R. was not involved in the murder and that the flogging sentence was only for drinking alcohol.
According to the prosecutor, the “offence” took place in the Iranian year of 1385 (March 2006 to March 2007). M. R. was born in the Iranian year of 1370 (March 1991 to March 1992), which means he would have been 14 or 15 years old at the time of the incident.
The flogging sentence was issued 10 years ago in 1386 (March 2007 to March 2008).
It is not clear why the sentence was carried out after over a decade.
Judicial authorities in Iran have imposed and carried out various forms of cruel punishments in 2018, including the amputation of a man’s hand for stealing.
Philip Luther, Research and Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International, “The circumstances of this case are absolutely shocking, representing another horrific example of the Iranian authorities’ warped priorities.
“No one, regardless of age, should be subjected to flogging; that a child was prosecuted for consuming alcohol and sentenced to 80 lashes beggars belief.”
Luther added, “the Iranian authorities’ prolific use of corporal punishment, including on children, demonstrates a shocking disregard for basic humanity.
“They should immediately abolish all forms of such punishment, which in Iran includes amputation and blinding as well as flogging.”
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