What is it about?
Dr. Abolfazl Alishahi ghaleh joughi & Ms. Sedighe Riahi Rad in this study examine whether Iranian law and jurisprudence support the hypothesis that certain women are more predisposed to criminal behavior during their menstrual cycle, which then warrants a reduction in their punishment.
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Photo by Hadi Yazdi Aznaveh on Unsplash
Why is it important?
While many jurists argue for a correlation between PMS and criminal behavior, which suggests that it should be considered in sentencing reductions, Iranian law discourse has largely overlooked this issue. Notably, PMS serves as a mitigating factor in various legal systems worldwide, yet its legal implications remain unexplored in Iranian law.
Perspectives
A key finding of this study is that PMS has been categorized as a type of mental disorder. By analyzing legal provisions related to mental disorder in Iranian law and interpretations of the term ‘harm’ (adhā) in Qur’an 2:222 (Al-Baqarah/The Cow) concerning menstruation, this study assesses whether PMS can serve as a mitigating factor in criminal sentencing under Iranian law.
Prof Abdallah Abdulrahman Elkhatib
Qatar University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Premenstrual Syndrome and Criminal Liability in Iranian Law: A Legal Lacuna, Journal of College of Sharia & Islamic Studies, January 2026, Qatar University,
DOI: 10.29117/jcsis.2026.0439.
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