Two Iranians Flogged Publicly For Eating During Ramadan

07/15/14

Source: RFE/RL

Two men were flogged in public in the south-central Iranian city of Shiraz for eating during fasting hours in the holy month of Ramadan. Fasting in Ramadan is considered a religious duty for Muslims.



Falak whipping the soles of a criminal. One of Antoin Sevruguin's (1830s-1933) historical Iran photographs

National Museum of Ethnology in Leiden, The Netherlands (public domain)



The police chief of Iran's Fars Province, Ahmad Ali Goudarzi, was quoted by Iranian media on July 13 as saying that each of the men received 80 lashes.

Goudarzi said eating in public during Ramadan is a crime that is forbidden by Islamic law.

He warned that the police will act against violators according to the law.

Rights groups have condemned flogging sentences in Iran as a form of cruel and inhuman punishment.

Based on reporting by ISNA, NewsPolice.ir