Iranian police have arrested more than 260 people, including three European citizens, on suspicion of spreading satanism, the state-run IRNA news agency reported Friday.
The report said the suspects were arrested on Thursday night in Shahryar County, west of the capital of Tehran, for “spreading the culture of satanism and nudity.” It did not elaborate.
It was not clear how such a large number of arrests were made in one night — if the suspects were in one location, at some gathering or party, or not.
Gatherings where unrelated men and women are seen together are illegal in Iran and considered a sin under Islamic law.
I understand the sentiment, although I still do have sympathy for them. The thing is, everyone knows by now that any westerner will likely be arrested by the Iranians on bogus pretext, and then used as a bargaining chip to alleviate some of the international sanctions. In the meantime, you’re pretty much guaranteed to spend a couple years in prison, and probably be raped too if you’re a woman.