Conviction of Those Arrested During Chaharshanbe Suri in Mashhad to Sweep Streets

The public prosecutor and revolutionary prosecutor of Mashhad condemned 80 individuals who were arrested during the "Chaharshanbe Suri" celebrations last Tuesday night to sweep the streets of the city. According to this ruling, these individuals will also be arrested in future years until the end of the Chaharshanbe Suri celebrations. Hadi Shari'at, the deputy public prosecutor of Mashhad, stated on Wednesday, March 15, to the state news agency IRNA that this ruling was issued to make these individuals aware of the "damages" caused by Chaharshanbe Suri. According to Mr. Shari'at, these individuals were brought to the areas to clean up the site in order to "understand the extent of the damages they caused to the city and properties." He announced the charges against these individuals as "disturbing public order, terror, and fear among citizens" on the evening of Tuesday. Images of the execution of part of their sentences were also published by the 'Mizan' news agency, affiliated with the judiciary. This judicial official also added that some of the arrested individuals "visited the burn unit of Imam Reza Hospital to understand the harmful effects of dangerous behaviors." Another part of their sentence includes "registering" these detainees as "high-risk individuals during the last Wednesday of the year" and conducting "educational classes". This judicial official added: "In future years, these individuals will be summoned to the prosecutor's office one day before the last Wednesday of the year and will be detained until the end of the Chaharshanbe Suri celebrations." During this year's Chaharshanbe Suri celebrations in Mashhad, according to responsible officials, 11 incidents of fire occurred in this metropolis. Additionally, a police colonel and a soldier who were present in the 'Hashemieh' Boulevard in Mashhad to maintain order were severely injured due to the throwing of explosive firecrackers and were hospitalized at 'Farabi' Hospital. Last year's Chaharshanbe Suri celebrations also saw 49 incidents of fire in the three and a half million population city of Mashhad. According to the Iranian police, 1,389 men and 48 women were arrested during Chaharshanbe Suri on March 14 of this year, of which 959 were referred to "judicial authorities" and the rest were released after "giving a commitment." Chaharshanbe Suri is one of the ancient celebrations of Iranians held on the eve of Nowruz; lighting fires and jumping over them are among the customs of this ceremony. The Chaharshanbe Suri ceremony is also held in various regions of Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and especially among Kurds.