Convicted thief’s hand cut off in Iran

TEHRAN - An Iranian court ordered the hand of a convicted thief cut off and officials said this kind of punishment would continue, ISNA news agency reported Tuesday.

The hand of a two-time convicted thief was cut off in front of other prisoners in a jail in Mashad, in northeastern Iran, the city’s prosecutor-general was quoted as saying.

Mohammad Zoqi said that such amputations would be continued in the future to protect people’s lives and property and serve as a lesson for other thieves.

According to sharia law, amputation is the punishment for those convicted of repeated robberies.