Soccer Player Arrested for Drinking and Mixed-Gender Party... Iran Cracks Down on Morality from New Year

Islamic Sharia Law Prohibits Alcohol and Mixed-Gender Socializing
Secret Parties Held to Evade Police Crackdowns

Iran arrested current and former football players who held a mixed-gender party while drinking alcohol to celebrate the New Year.

On the 1st (local time), according to Middle Eastern media and the BBC, Iranian police raided a New Year's Eve party held at a villa in the Damavand area of eastern Tehran the previous day and arrested famous football players.

The arrested players belong to well-known club teams, but the number of people and their identities have not been disclosed. It is also known that some of them had expressed support for anti-government protests.

Tasnim News Agency reported, "Some players were intoxicated at the time of arrest." Currently, all the football players arrested at that time have been released, and only one companion remains in custody.

The 'Free Iran' flag appeared in the audience seats at a wrestling arena in the United States on the 11th of last month (local time). This photo is not related to any specific content of the article. Photo by AP Yonhap News

In Iran, alcohol consumption and mixed-gender parties are strictly prohibited under Islamic law, and violations are punished with penalties such as flogging with a cane. Repeated violations of the alcohol ban can even result in the death penalty. Both nationals and foreigners are prohibited from drinking alcohol, and possession or distribution of alcohol is punishable under Islamic law.

In fact, in June last year, 120 people were arrested for drinking and holding a dance party in the forests of Mazandaran Province in northern Iran, and six years ago, university students who held a mixed-gender graduation party were sentenced to 99 lashes. As a result, some Iranians hold "secret parties" in forests or suburban villas to avoid religious police crackdowns.

Meanwhile, anti-government protests have continued for months since the suspicious death of Mahsa Amini (22), who was arrested by the morality police last September for not wearing her hijab properly. However, the Iranian government has recently maintained a rigid stance, increasing the severity of its crackdown. Last month, the authorities shocked the international community by publicly executing two participants in the anti-government protests.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.