Humiliation as Part of Punishment: The Violation of Human Dignity Through Public Executions/ Alireza Goodarzi

Let us begin by distinguishing between a criminal, a suspect, and anyone else outside these categories. A person living in society may come under legal suspicion of having committed a crime. From that moment on, this individual is referred to as a “suspect.” Once the accusation is proven in a competent court, with all legal […]...

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Those Who Love Death/ Arash Mohammadi

I.I was a child—perhaps ten years old. I can’t recall my exact age, but I vividly remember walking past the Baqi Cemetery when I heard a scream. A man and a woman were about to be stoned to death. Out of curiosity, I stopped to watch. The problem was that although a large crowd had […]...

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The Theater and the Soul: Foucault’s Unflinching Gaze at the Spectacle of Execution/ Afshin Davoudi

Speaking of public executions evokes a primal image: a crowd gathered in a square, a platform bathed in sunlight or shadow, and the haunting silhouette of the condemned. A scene that feels both ancient and profoundly disturbing. Most modern objections to this practice are based on human rights principles, empathy, and a deep revulsion triggered […]...

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The Psychological Impact of Witnessing Public Executions on Children and Adolescents/ Mahtab Alinejad

On a cold winter morning, in the heavy silence of a city square, a crowd gathers to witness the public execution of a condemned individual. The murmurs of the crowd and the hurried steps of the guards ripple through the air. A 4- or 5-year-old child, puffed corn snack in hand, stands next to his […]...

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Killing Innocence at Dawn: A Public Execution/ Fereshteh Goli

As the sharp, cold morning wind swept autumn leaves across the cobbled alleyways of the city, a dense, silent crowd had gathered in the main square. Their breath turned into small clouds in the freezing air, merging into one another. Among the crowd stood women whose eyes reflected waves of fear, worry, and anxiety, and […]...

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A Look at the Role of Qisas in Murder Cases and the Distinction Between Justice and Revenge/ Sina Yousefi

In the legal system of the Islamic Republic of Iran, qisas (retaliatory justice) is not only prominently featured in Book Three of the Islamic Penal Code (2013), but its procedural structure and associated privileges are also legally codified. These include defining the scope of cases eligible for qisas, conditions for the equivalence of the weapon […]...

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Law or Verdict? A Criminal Law Critique of Public Executions/ Mohammad-Hadi Jafarpoor

According to the rule of law, the necessity of implementing and enforcing laws is essential to the life of a social system. Even thieves and murderers believe in the necessity of enforcing the law and respecting legal rulings, and it is precisely because of this awareness that they feel fear and anxiety when committing a […]...

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From Cheap Death to Contemporary Scaffolds/ Reza Harisi

Public execution—a phenomenon in which the final moments of a human being’s life are put on public display—goes beyond mere punishment and, in Marcel Mauss’s terms, constitutes a “total social fact” that encompasses all dimensions of a society’s life (legal, political, religious, economic, ethical, and cultural). While the global trend in the modern era has […]...

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Public Execution: Reproduction of Violence Instead of Deterrence/ Toutia Partovi Amoli

Public execution is a punishment that, in some societies, has been used as a tool aimed at deterring crime and instilling fear. Nevertheless, according to statistical studies and scientific findings, carrying out punishment in public not only has no significant effect on reducing violent crime rates but also leads to the normalization and reproduction of […]...

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Why Should Public Execution Be Abolished?/ Neda Ghanbari

A thorough examination of historical experiences, human rights principles, and findings from psychology and criminology clearly indicates that public execution not only lacks any deterrent effect but also carries profound social, psychological, and moral consequences for society. Although some proponents view public execution as a tool for creating fear and reducing crime, in practice, it […]...

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