Tehran Police Raid 'Special' Women's Party and Arrest Guests

Iranian police raided a women's party in Tehran, arresting several organizers and sealing the venue. Mohsen Khancherli, the police chief of western Tehran province, stated in an exclusive interview with the Tasnim news agency on Saturday, March 4, that the organizers of this 'special women's' event, which featured 'notorious women,' had been arrested. According to Khancherli, advertisements for this 'special party' were circulated on social media some time ago, with the cost of attendance set at 'several tens of thousands of tomans' per person. The police official did not clarify what he meant by 'special party.' The event took place in one of the garden halls in western Tehran, which was sealed after police confirmed its 'illegal' status. Khancherli added, 'The justification of the organizers was that since it was a women's gathering, they were allowed to do anything, while according to religious and legal standards, holding parties that undermine societal chastity is illegal.' He also stated, 'The police are not opposed to joy and celebrations, but will certainly confront gatherings that promote corruption.' This police chief also reported that previously, 'several actors had held an unusual party under the pretext of a birthday celebration, which led to police intervention.' Since the 1979 revolution, Iranian police have frequently raided parties, celebrations, and private events, arresting many and handing them over to judicial authorities. The extent of police intervention in private parties, which peaked in the early years of the revolution and had subsided for years, has increased again in the past year following a directive from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to confront 'social harms.' Over the past year, Iranian police have raided dozens of private parties and celebrations, arresting groups of participants, with the most recent incident involving the arrest of 30 people in Ahvaz for attending a 'party.' On Friday, March 3, the IRNA news agency reported, citing an informed source, that the girls and boys present at this party were arrested by the 'moral security police.' According to this source, these individuals were attending the party on Thursday evening in the 'Kianpars' area of Ahvaz when police detained them. Despite inquiries from IRNA reporters, the Khuzestan police have refrained from responding on this matter. Earlier in December, 54 young men and women were arrested at a nighttime party in Abadan. In November, 23 young men and women were also arrested at a mixed party in one of the gardens in Dezful. In a related incident, another party in Tehran ended with the arrest of attendees, with '40 single girls and boys' arrested at a party in Urmia. Alimohammadi: Mixing between men and women has also infiltrated religious families. 44 people were arrested at a party in Mashhad.