Seyed Reza Alavi Motlagh, the presiding judge said that one of the criminals was ordered to grow a local shrub called galbanum in an area of three hectares in national lands.
Galbanum is a gum-like material (resin) from the roots and trunk of a tree. It is used to make medicine. People take galbanum for digestion problems, intestinal gas (flatulence), poor appetite, cough, and spasms.
According to the local media, the second convict was also compelled by the same judge to grow galbanum and other kinds of herbs in an area of one hectare in national lands
“Replacing imprisonment with other types of punishments would play an effective role in reaching one of the most important goals of the judicial system which is crime prevention and making the prisons less crowded,” the judge told the press.
Iran's Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani recently urged the courts of Iran to employ other alternatives rather than imprisonment as much as possible, including digital monitoring for offenders.