A conservative Iranian daily urged Saturday that amputating the fingers of thieves, as called for under Iran's Islamic law, be called off until the nation's struggling economy is repaired.
"The worsening economic situation is imposing a heavy burden on low-income families," the Tehran Times said in an editorial which comes after reports of three such punishments in recent days.
"What people expect is that the ruling on the amputation of a thief's fingers should only be issued after major economic problems facing the underprivileged economic strata have been solved," it said.
"Otherwise, the amputation of a thief's fingers would only make things even uglier for his family," it added
Three men recently had the fingers chopped off their right hands for repeated thievery, press reports said last week.
Reformist President Mohammed Khatami has come under increasing fire over his handling of the economy, which remains burdened by high inflation and unemployment, ahead of the presidential elections in June.
He is yet to announce formally if he will seek a second four-year term -- TEHRAN (AFP)
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