Three thieves have had their hands amputated by authorities in Iran after being convicted of stealing gold jewellery, the country's judiciary said.
A report by the judiciary's Mizan Online website on Thursday said the convicts had "a history of multiple thefts" across four provinces.
They were arrested several years ago and had since not co-operated with attempts to negotiate the return of the stolen items, which were mostly gold jewellery. Co-operation would have allowed them "to benefit from legal leniency and repentance", Mizan said.
Several kilogrammes of gold were stolen from a number of homes and the defendants were arrested while committing a theft in the city of Urmia, it added.
"The sentence of hand amputation for three professional thieves with a history of multiple thefts was carried out in West Azerbaijan province," it added.
The sentence of amputation is relatively rare in Iran and generally reserved for repeat offenders. Mizan said the amputations were carried out after Iran's top court upheld the sentences against the trio.
The sharia-based penal code introduced in Iran after the Islamic revolution of 1979 provides for amputation as a punishment for certain offences. Human rights groups have condemned its use as cruel and inhumane.
Last month authorities amputated the hands of two men who had been repeatedly convicted of theft.
