Twelve people in Iran’s fledgling fashion industry have reportedly been sentenced to prison after being found guilty of ‘spreading prostitution’ online.

Lawyer Mahmoud Taravat told state news agency Ilna that the eight women and four men he represents received jail time of between five months to six years handed down by a Shiraz court on Monday.

The charges included “encouraging prostitution” and “promoting corruption” through the publication of “obscene” images online, the court said, spreading a “Western-style culture of nudity“ designed to corrupt Muslims.

In addition to the jail time, some of the individuals were banned from travelling abroad or working in journalism, the civil service, fashion and photography for two years on their release.

His clients - who were not named - deny all charges and are planning to appeal the decisions, Mr Taravat added.

Iran has recently been seeking to crack down on violations of the country’s strict laws on ‘un-Islamic’ behaviour, particularly when it comes to social media use, after an invocation from the state’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

“[The internet] is a real battlefield. The clerics and seminary students should prepare to enter this field and fight against deviations and erroneous thoughts,” he said earlier this year.

Mathias Zwick: Skateboarders of Iran Show all 11 1 /11 Mathias Zwick: Skateboarders of Iran Mathias Zwick: Skateboarders of Iran Wall of skateboards in the Grand Bazaar of Tehran Mathias Zwick Mathias Zwick: Skateboarders of Iran Tehran, the most progressive city in Iran, is home to the country's largest community of skateboarders. They number about 500. The Alborz Mountains overlook the north of the capital. Skateboarders like to meet over there to go down from mount Toshâl to city center skatepark. In Tehran’s heavy traffic, this horde of skateboarders is in the middle of a very dangerous journey Mathias Zwick Mathias Zwick: Skateboarders of Iran Documenting themselves with Go-Pro cameras, the crew of skateboarders rides through the city, past the wide-eyed gazes of passers-by. The footage will be posted on Instagram, a popular social network among young Iranians. Unlike Facebook, Instagram is not blocked by the Iranian government Mathias Zwick Mathias Zwick: Skateboarders of Iran In Southern Tehran, Ashkan kickflips in front of a mural depicting the ayatollah Khomeini, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in 1979 Mathias Zwick Mathias Zwick: Skateboarders of Iran In recent years, groups of skateboarders appeared in all of Iran's major cities. Iranian cities, where modern and traditional architecture intermingle, are their playgrounds. Unlike Tehran, there is no skate park in Isfahan. Young skaters must settle for the street Mathias Zwick Mathias Zwick: Skateboarders of Iran In front of a mosque in Isfahan, around 211 miles south from Tehran, Erfan is towed by a carriage usually meant for tourists Mathias Zwick Mathias Zwick: Skateboarders of Iran Persian rugs are traditionally used for sitting to eat, drink tea or rest. While waiting for friends from Ispahan to joint them, the skateboarders from Tehran improvise a game with a board without wheels Mathias Zwick Mathias Zwick: Skateboarders of Iran The Grand Bazaar in Tehran is usually filled with people, but Friday is the weekly day of rest in Iran. Amid ghostly decor skateboarders lose themselves in the many narrow alleys of the labyrinthine market Mathias Zwick Mathias Zwick: Skateboarders of Iran In Tehran, Erfan, 24, rides hurtles past the portraits of Khamenei (left), the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran since 1989, and his predecessor Khomeini (far right) Mathias Zwick Mathias Zwick: Skateboarders of Iran In Kerman, located in southeastern Iran, girls take ownership of skateboarding, too. Wearing mandatory veils and long sleeves, here are three that train regularly with boys Mathias Zwick Mathias Zwick: Skateboarders of Iran Although skateboarding is one of the few sports where genders intermingle, girls do not have the same opportunities than boys. Mandatory veils and long sleeves make practicing skateboard harder under the intense heat of a summer in Shiraz, said Ehlam, 21 years old, skater girl, electric guitar player and also breakdancer Mathias Zwick

The Centre for Investigation of Organised Crime, a branch of the elite religious Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), routinely monitors social media for evidence of immorality or subversion on the part of citizens.

It’s not the first time people working in the fashion industry have been targeted: in May, arrest warrants were issued for eight models because of pictures of them posted to Instagram in which their hair was not covered by a hijab.