E/CN.4/1996/35/Add.1 page 68 365. On 24 November 1995 the Special Rapporteur transmitted an urgent appeal concerning a number of followers of Grand Ayatollah Shirazi, who were reportedly arrested without warrants by members of the security forces from their homes in Tehran and Qom on the night of 11 November 1995. They were identified as Hojjatoleslam val muslimin Mohammad Taqi al-Dhakeri, Hojjatoleslam val muslimin ’Abdolrahman al-Ha’eri, Hojjatoleslam val muslimin Sayed ’Abdolrasul al-Musawi, Hojjatoleslam Taleb al-Salehi, Hojjatoleslam Mohammad Fazel Mohammad al-Saffar, Hojjatoleslam Mohammad ’Ali Ma’ash, Sighatoleslam Fu’ad Fujian, Mohammad al-Ghaffari, Hadi al-Akhound al-Dhakeri and Iyad Fujian. During the course of the arrests, some relatives of the above-named persons were allegedly beaten, including the wife of Sheikh Muhammad al-Saffar, who reportedly had her hand broken, and the son of Sheikh Muhammad Ali Ma’ash, who reportedly sustained an eye injury from a gun butt. They were both said to have been hospitalized. In addition, a number of students from the Imam Hussein religious school in Qom were reportedly arrested on 12 November 1995 and at least seven remained detained. Finally, Hojjatoleslam val muslimin Sayed Morteza Shirazi, the son of Grand Ayatollah Shirazi, was reportedly arrested in Qom on 21 November 1995. Iraq Information transmitted to the Government and replies received 366. By letter dated 11 April 1995 the Special Rapporteur advised the Government that he had received information concerning the enactment by the Revolutionary Command Council of a number of criminal penalties involving physical mutilation, including the amputation of the hands, feet and ears and the branding of marks on the forehead. Several thousand offenders were said to have had such punishment carried out against them. It was reported that persons sentenced to receive a tattoo had instead had marks branded upon them with hot instruments. 367. Decree No. 59 of 4 June 1994 provides for the amputation of the right hand from the wrist for certain acts of theft. The left foot is to be amputated from the ankle for a repeated offence. The Minister of Trade reportedly pronounced the decree applicable to bakers contravening a regulation concerning the production of bread. Decree No. 92 of 21 July 1994 prescribes life imprisonment or amputation of the right hand for the falsification of an official document if such falsification leads to the achievement of an illicit benefit or deprives another person of the enjoyment of rights. Decree No. 109 of 18 August 1994 provides for the application of a tattoo of 1 centimetre in length and 1 millimetre in width between the eyebrows of every person who has been amputated for an offence punishable by amputation of the hand. Decree No. 115 of 25 August 1994 mandates that the amputation of an ear for any persons evading or deserting from military service or persons who shelter or protect any persons evading or deserting. In addition, a mark of 3 to 5 centimetres in length and 1 millimetre in width is to be branded onto the forehead of persons who have had an ear cut off. Decree No. 117 of 25 August 1994 prescribes that anyone who removes or helps to remove the tattoo placed pursuant to the above-mentioned decree or carries out cosmetic surgery of the amputated hand or ear shall be punished by amputation of the hand or ear together with a tattoo.