Dozens of 'Girls and Boys' Arrested in Tabriz on Charges of Eating During Ramadan

Following reports of the arrest of 72 individuals in Hamadan on charges of 'eating during Ramadan', a police official announced the arrest of 92 'girls and boys' at the Shahrivar Hotel café in Tabriz on Tuesday, July 1, on the same charges. According to Fars News Agency, Ali Ismailpour, the social deputy of the East Azerbaijan police, stated on Wednesday, July 2, that '41 girls and 51 boys (from Tabriz) had ordered food and were arrested while eating, along with the café manager named (H-A), and were handed over to judicial authorities after a case was filed.' The police official's remarks come as the local website 'Vaqt News' quoted Hossein Ebrahimi, the manager of the five-star Shahrivar Hotel in Tabriz, describing the police's actions as 'unconventional and insulting.' Ebrahimi mentioned that he and several of the detainees were held from Tuesday evening until 5 AM on Wednesday. He emphasized that 'most' of those present at the hotel café were travelers and that 'due to the public nature of the place, there may be individuals from outside posing as travelers among them.' On the same day, Mansour Maleki, the deputy police commander of Hamadan County, reported that since the beginning of Ramadan, 72 individuals had been arrested in that city on charges of 'eating during Ramadan' and referred to court. Prior to the start of Ramadan in Iran, some judicial officials had announced the establishment of special branches for 'eating during Ramadan' cases. Meanwhile, Ebrahim Sadighi Niaki, the public and revolutionary prosecutor of Qazvin, emphasized on Wednesday that this year 'those caught eating during Ramadan will not only receive their court ruling on the day of their arrest but will also have the ruling executed.' On Wednesday, August 14, 2014, he also reported the arrest of 400 individuals and the execution of 200 lashes for 'eating in public during Ramadan.' Ali Ashraf Karami, the deputy prosecutor of Kermanshah Province, also stated on Tuesday, July 30, 2014, that five instances of public lashings for eating during Ramadan had been carried out. These actions come despite the fact that 'Islamic Penal Code does not mention punishment for eating in public during Ramadan.' According to reports, judges refer to a section of the Islamic Penal Code that states 'displaying any forbidden act in public is a crime.' Under the Islamic Penal Code, anyone who publicly displays a forbidden act in public places and streets can be sentenced to imprisonment from 10 days to two months or up to 74 lashes.