"The circumstances of this case are absolutely shocking, representing another horrific example of the Iranian authorities' warped priorities. No one, regardless of age, should be subjected to flogging; that a child was prosecuted for consuming alcohol and sentenced to 80 lashes beggars belief," said Philip Luther, Research and Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International.
"The Iranian authorities' prolific use of corporal punishment, including on children, demonstrates a shocking disregard for basic humanity. They should immediately abolish all forms of such punishment, which in Iran includes amputation and blinding as well as flogging."
The public flogging took place on 10 July in Niazmand Square, Kashmar, Razavi Khorasan province, where the man, known just as M. R., was flogged 80 times on his back. Domestic media outlets have posted a picture from showing the young man tied to a tree as he was flogged by a masked man, with a crowd of people watching at a distance.
According to the Public Prosecutor of Kashmar, M. R. consumed alcohol during a wedding where an argument caused a fight that resulted in the death of a 17-year-old. The public prosecutor has conceded that M.R. was not involved in the murder and that the flogging sentence was only for drinking alcohol.
Comment: Iran may be part of the axis of resistance fighting jihadi and Israeli terrorism, but that doesn't mean it's free from its own pathology. Like China in recent decades (and Saudi Arabia in recent months), Iran has been getting more moderate over the years - but it's still a theocracy when it comes down to it. Writing in the 80s, Lobaczewski - after pointing out the ousted Shah of Iran's pathological personality - wrote in Political Ponerology: "The genesis of [Iran's] present tragedy also doubtless contains pathological factors which play ponerologically active roles."
Unfortunately, incidents like the above then get used for propaganda purposes in the West by people who have no real empathy for the Iranian people and who just want pro-Western regime change. But that won't solve the problem - it will just lead to more violence and more radicals.