Dozens of 'Semi-Nude' Girls and Boys Arrested in 'Night Party' in Shiraz

The commander of the police force in Shiraz announced the arrest of 63 'semi-nude' girls and boys at two 'night parties' in the northeastern part of the city. Youssef Malekzadeh stated on Friday, August 20, in an interview with Tasnim News Agency that the police carried out the arrests in a 'joint operation' with 'one of the organizations.' According to this police official, the individuals who had gathered 'under the pretext of a birthday party' were introduced to the judiciary after their arrest. On August 17 of this year, news agencies reported that Basij forces arrested 60 boys and girls at a 'night party' in a roadside restaurant in the Sarakhsar forest park in Tehran and handed them over to judicial authorities. In recent months, numerous reports have emerged in Iranian media about the increasing police and security forces' crackdowns on family celebrations and parties, indicating the extensive scope of these actions. The police have also stated that the majority of those arrested were charged with participating in 'mixed parties' and 'consuming alcoholic beverages.' Tehran, East Azerbaijan, Hormozgan, Mazandaran, and Kerman are among the provinces where police have recently arrested a significant number of young people by raiding parties and night celebrations. In Iran, participating in certain mixed private celebrations can lead to arrests, and hundreds of reports on this issue have been published in the media over the past 35 years. Officials of the Islamic Republic refer to 'mixed night parties' as one of the 'social harms' and examples of 'cultural invasion.' The scope of these crackdowns has also extended to birthday and wedding celebrations, with dozens of individuals arrested or released on bail and fines so far. In this context, Iranian judicial officials reported the arrest of 50 girls and boys for participating in a gathering, the arrest of 150 girls and boys at a 'night party,' the arrest of 20 individuals at a 'mixed night party' in East Azerbaijan, and the arrest of 60 boys and girls at a 'night party' in Sarakhsar, Tehran.