The law of retribution is a central part of Islam's sharia code but has been

An Iranian thug has been blinded as punishment for throwing acid in the face of a four-year-old girl who then lost her sight.

It was the second time this year that Iran had carried out the strict eye-for-eye punishment that can be imposed for such crimes in the Islamic republic.

The law of retribution is a central part of Islam's sharia code but has been condemned by international human rights groups.

Ameneh Bahrami (pictured) was blinded by a man who threw acid in her face

The head of criminal affairs for the Tehran prosecutor's office, Mohammad Shahriari, said: 'In 2009, this man threw lime into the face of a little girl of four years in the Sanandaj region, leaving her blind.

'Today, the law of retribution was applied in my presence and that of experts,' he said, without giving further details.

Victims can choose to spare their attackers the punishment often in exchange for blood money.

In 2011, young Iranian woman Ameneh Bahrami, one of a number who have been blinded and disfigured in acid attacks in recent years, used the right, saying she did not want her attacker to endure what she had.

Earlier this year, it was reported that an Iranian man was due to be completely blinded in an 'unspeakably cruel' punishment for having blinded a taxi driver with acid in 2009.