40 Single Girls and Boys Arrested at a Party in Urmia

The commander of the police force in Urmia announced the arrest of "40 single girls and boys" at a mixed-gender night party in the city. According to the IRNA news agency, Hossein Samadpour stated on Sunday, December 25, that following a phone call from a citizen of Urmia to police 110 reporting a night party in one of the neighborhoods of the city, the matter was quickly put on the agenda of the Urmia police officers. According to this police official, "social corruption fighters" entered the house where the party was held after "receiving permission" from judicial authorities and arrested the "40 single girls and boys" for holding an "unauthorized mixed party." He added that the detainees were referred to judicial authorities after their case was completed. In recent months, police commanders in various provinces of Iran have reported multiple inspections of gardens and banquet halls where they claim mixed celebrations might be taking place. Additionally, reports of the arrest of citizens in various provinces for participating in "various parties" or "consuming alcoholic beverages" have increased. In the latest case, two days ago, Fars news agency reported the arrest of 25 people, including an actor and a writer of comedy programs, at a party. Last week, the head of the judicial district in the Golbahar region of Razavi Khorasan province mentioned the arrest of 18 individuals at a mixed party. In June of this year, the implementation of flogging sentences for 35 students for participating in a "mixed night party" in Qazvin faced significant protests and criticisms in Iran, but Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesperson for the judiciary, deemed the execution of this sentence "legal" and stated that the judiciary has "evidence and indications" that the "parties" held in several provinces were "guided by a specific current." Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, the Tehran prosecutor, also described these actions as "organized" and called for "intelligence oversight" of judicial agents over "all centers prepared for corruption," including gardens and halls. The scope of arrests at private parties has also extended to birthday and wedding celebrations, with dozens of people arrested or released on bail and fines. In this context, a new wave of arrests at mixed parties in Iran includes the arrest of 120 women and men in a café in Tehran, 23 girls and boys in connection with a "mixed party" in Dezful, 30 people at a "mixed celebration" in Rasht, 20 young girls and boys at a "night party" in Shiraz, and 34 women and men at a "night party" in Kerman, among others.