Case Filed Against Two Female Athletes for 'Inappropriate' Attire

The Tehran prosecutor announced that a case has been filed against two women for participating in unofficial competitions with 'inappropriate' attire. According to ISNA, Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi made this announcement during the fourth meeting of the Tehran prosecutor's office on 'social harms.' In this meeting, which included the commander of Tehran police, the deputy commander of the moral police, and representatives from executive agencies, the names of the two women were not disclosed. The Tehran prosecutor criticized what he referred to as 'inappropriate behavior,' 'improper attire,' and 'violations of norms' by these two women in the competitions. On September 21 of this year, the news agency Mizan reported the summons of two female athletes and four coaches in bodybuilding to the Culture and Media Prosecutor's Office in Tehran. The judiciary news agency announced that the summons was related to the publication of 'semi-nude' images of the two female athletes on social media. Mizan reported that these two female athletes, after training with male coaches, participated in 'foreign' bodybuilding competitions and published 'semi-nude' images of themselves on social media. The summoning of Iranian athletes to the prosecutor's office and the filing of cases against them regarding their activities on social media has a precedent. One of these individuals, Sosha Makani, a goalkeeper for the Persepolis football team and the Iranian national team, was arrested last December after photos of her were published on Telegram and was released after six days on a bail of one billion tomans. Following the summons and detention of these athletes, Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, the general and revolutionary prosecutor of Tehran, warned athletes and artists in December 2015 about the publication of what he called 'inappropriate' and 'against Islamic values' images in cyberspace. Activists in the fields of fashion, makeup, clothing, and photography are among those who have faced increased pressure over the past year, with multiple reports of their arrests published in Iranian media. In the fourth meeting of the Tehran prosecutor's office, Amir Qotbi, the deputy prosecutor of Tehran, also presented a report on the status of actions taken in the area of 'non-standard' clothing. Mr. Qotbi reported the identification of 410 centers using foreign titles and brands, many of which, according to him, are 'unauthorized.' He also reported the identification of 572 fashion houses and studios in Tehran, stating that only 83 of them have permits from the fashion and clothing organization. The Tehran prosecutor also stated that 'our goal is not to disrupt the country's situation and disturb trade and business sectors.' Jafari Dolatabadi added, 'We are not against fashion and beauty,' but 'in an Islamic society, one cannot wear clothing in public that contradicts the norms and common customs of society.'