Sajjad Safaei is a postdoc fellow at Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology. He obtained his PhD from Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg for his research on different forms of violence, with a particular focus on so-called “barbaric” punishments and the role in shaping international relations as well as the politics of humanitarian action. He writes regularly on Middle East affairs with a particular focus on Iran.