TEHRAN: Iran on Thursday arrested a senior official after a video posted online showed young boys and girls dancing in public in the northeastern holy city of Mashhad, the judiciary said.
“The head of the ministry of culture and Islamic guidance in Mashhad was arrested for undermining public decency and disrespecting the laws,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online news agency said quoting a deputy prosecutor.
Islamic law in Iran prohibits public dancing.
The video shared on social networks showed young boys and girls dancing in a shopping mall, where a singer was performing for a huge crowd. The event took place on Tuesday.
Mohsen Afshar, a spokesman for the shopping center, told the ISNA news agency that a monthly draw is organized and a car given away to the lucky winner to attract customers.
According to Afshar the singer had the necessary “official permits to perform.”
The performance can attract 10,000-12,000 people, he said, including “some individuals whose behavior is contrary to the norms of the Islamic republic.”
But Heydari told Tasnim news agency that the mall was not authorized to organize such events.
Mashhad is a holy and conservative city where in 2016 concerts were banned by the Friday prayer leader, Ayatollah Ahmad Allamolhoda, who also told music-lovers to “Go somewhere else.”
Thursday’s arrest comes days after Tehran’s reformist mayor, Mohammad Ali Najafi, resigned after claims he was threatened with arrest.
Najafi had attracted criticism from hard-liners last month after attending in March a show at City Hall for Iranian Women’s Day in which schoolgirls performed a traditional dance.
Iran arrests culture ministry official over public dance
Iran arrests culture ministry official over public dance
- Iran arrested a senior official after a video posted online showed young boys and girls dancing in public in the northeastern holy city of Mashhad
- The video shared on social networks showed young boys and girls dancing in a shopping mall, where a singer was performing for a huge crowd
Syrian government takes over Qamishli airport security in Hasaka
- Qamishli airport has been out of service for the past 15 years and was the only major airport under SDF control
- The Ministry of Interior is conducting the handover process to restore full state authority over vital facilities
LONDON: Syrian authorities have taken over security responsibilities at Qamishli airport in Hasaka Province, northeastern Syrian Arab Republic, as part of the implementation of the agreement between Damascus and the Syrian Democratic Forces.
The Ministry of Interior, represented by the Directorate of Airport and Border Security, is conducting the handover process on Sunday to restore full state authority over vital facilities and enhance security procedures at airports and border crossings, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency.
Qamishli airport has been out of service for the past 15 years and was the only major airport under SDF control.
In January, the Syrian army entered Hasakah and deployed throughout the Jazira region to secure it under an agreement between the Syrian government and the SDF.
Under the agreement, both the Syrian government and the SDF agreed to a ceasefire and a phased integration of military and administrative structures. It also includes deploying government security forces and transferring control of civil institutions and border areas to the state, the SANA added.
