After Mashhad, the IRGC Arrests 20 Girls and Boys in Amol

News websites in Mazandaran province have reported the arrest of 20 girls and boys in Amol by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in collaboration with the police. The websites 'Varesh' and 'Balagh', which publish news and reports from Mazandaran, stated that these youths were arrested on Thursday, January 25, while they were having a 'dance and celebration' at a house on Haraz Street in Amol. According to the report, 'the young girls and boys were in an abnormal state due to the consumption of alcoholic beverages and psychoactive pills and were arrested by IRGC security forces in cooperation with the police and were referred to judicial authorities.' The news of the arrest of these youths for attending a party in Amol comes just one day after the IRGC announced the arrest of 84 others during 'a nighttime party' in Mashhad. In the Mashhad party, according to the IRGC's claims, 'five sealed bottles of alcoholic beverages, 20 empty bottles of alcohol, and three decks of cards' were discovered. Since the establishment of the Islamic Republic, raids by the police, Basij, and IRGC on mixed or even non-mixed parties across Iran where alcoholic beverages are consumed have become common. These raids have sometimes resulted in casualties; for instance, in October 2011, a police raid on a party in Mashhad led a young girl to jump from the sixth floor to escape, resulting in her death. In this context, 32 students present at a party in Karaj were arrested, and in Tehran province, 80 girls and boys were arrested at an illegal concert. Two concerts were canceled due to 'female musicians' and the use of the term 'concert.'