The Advocates for Human Rights, in collaboration with the Aborrahman Boroumand Foundation and the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, submitted a report on the death penalty and rights of people with disabilities in Iran to the 17^th Session of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities for its review of Iran in March 2017.

The Iranian Criminal Code discriminates against individuals with psycho-social disabilities who are victims of crimes, violating their right to equality, non-discrimination, and to life. The Code also discriminates against crimes suspects who have psycho-social disabilities, violating their right to a fair trial and access to justice. A disproportionate number of people in Iran's penal system have psycho-social disabilities, yet Iranian prisons do not provide accommodations for these disabilities.

Judges in some Iranian provinces make use of amputation as a form of punishment for crimes. The government is secretive about amputation practices. Iranian authorities have performed amputations of fingers, hands, and feet, as well as chemical blinding as a form of punishment.

The authors of the report suggest the following recommendations:

• Revise the Penal Code to eliminate the death penalty;
• Ensure that any legal definitions of psycho-social disability or “insanity” have a well-founded basis in medical and scientific research, recognizing that psycho-social disabilities have different degrees;
• Ensure that defendants with psycho-social disabilities receive a fair trial and appropriate accommodations while in prison facilities;
• Provide training to police inspectors and judges to ensure that they interact with individuals with psycho-social and intellectual disabilities in a manner that promotes the individual’s fullest possible participation in the judicial process; and
• Immediately and categorically prohibit the use of amputations and blinding as judicial punishments, and provide compensation to the victims of these punishments.