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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Public execution and children; a work by Motahareh Jafari

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The Man Who Became Our Mother/ A Poem by Jamshid Azizi

Ah, the deceit of winter—Joy in lifeHas dwindled downTo mere survival. And yet,Poetry still exists.The moon still exists.In the palm of the oceanPearls are stillWaiting to be found. Though sleep has spread,WakefulnessRemains beautiful. They shatter the torches.They erase the starsWith black pens… To see tomorrow, We must awaken—Before we areAwoken. A man became our mother,With […]...

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Execution: Administering justice or reproducing violence? A conversation with Shahab Tajri / Azar Taherabadi

Execution has always been one of the most controversial and challenging topics in criminal justice systems around the world. In Iran, this punishment, especially in recent decades, has not only been a legal and religious issue, but also a political, social, and ethical one. In this regard, questions have been raised that go beyond the […]...

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Historical Evolution and Contemporary Challenges of Qisas in Law/ Mostafa Ahmadian

The essence of qisas (retributive justice) has long been based on a natural law: “You kill, you are killed; an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.” This well-known principle existed long before the emergence of Abrahamic religions. Historical stone carvings—including the Code of Hammurabi, which dates back to 1800 BCE and […]...

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There is no benefit in retribution except for the healing of the survivors, Mustafa Ahmadian.

In recent years, various campaigns opposing the death penalty have been formed, each considering execution and qisas as the most prominent and dangerous threats to society, whose harmful effects do not release our reality and collective life during this era of history. Nevertheless, our criminal justice policy, in response to these collective movements, has generally […]...

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Book Introduction: “Against Execution”

« It is a great error for a person to become so immersed in human laws that they neglect divine laws. Death belongs only to God and humans have no right to interfere in this unknown matter. There is no text provided in Farsi to translate. Please provide the text so it can be translated […]...

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Two years after the “Mehsa” movement; Is the Islamic Republic seeking revenge against women? / Sina Yousefi

One of the most significant social and political developments in recent years in Iran is the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, also known as the “Mahsa” movement. It began in late summer 2022, coinciding with the death of Mahsa Amini at the hands of the Iranian police (morality police), and has continued in various forms since […]...

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