Iran arrests athlete for kissing girlfriend on roof in Tehran

In the footage, Japalaghy is seen wearing shorts while shirtless while kissing a woman who wears shorts and a sports bra.

MAY 20, 2020 19:43

Male hands arrested with handcuffs in Criminal concept (illustrative) (photo credit: INGIMAGE) — Male hands arrested with handcuffs in Criminal concept (illustrative)

(photo credit: INGIMAGE)

BERLIN - Police in Tehran confirmed on Wednesday the arrest of the Iranian parkour athlete and photographer Alireza Japalaghy for kissing his girlfriend on a roof and posting the footage on his popular Instagram page.

The Tehran police chief said that “we will soon arrest his girlfriend too.”

'دهانت را میبویند... مبادا که گفته باشی دوستت دارم'Iran arrests #parkour athlete after rooftop kiss video on his #instagram page.Tehran police chief says, "we will soon arrest his girlfriend too" pic.twitter.com/9UgNWOkOyh
— Potkin Azarmehr (@potkazar) May 20, 2020

Japalaghy was arrested on Monday, according to his brother.

In the footage, Japalaghy is seen wearing shorts while shirtless while kissing a woman who wears shorts and a sports bra. Japalaghy posted the photo, entitled "The Dawn Of Tehran," on his Instagram page, which has over 100,000 followers.

The Iranian regime-controlled Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported that Tehran Police Chief Sardar Hossein Rahimi said “we are not against sports." He added, "parkour is also a good, fun and fun sport, but we oppose the norm-breaking, vulgar and inappropriate behavior of him and his entourage, and the police and the judiciary will certainly deal decisively with this person and his entourage.”

Parkour is sport that aims to get from one point to another using running, climbing, swinging, vaulting, jumping and other body movements.

Lisa Daftari, a Middle East expert who writes about Iran, told the Jerusalem Post that "It’s no surprise that the regime in Iran would want to make an example out of a popular figure. The aim of the government has always been to intimidate the masses by suppressing any celebration of Western culture in romance, music, dance, poetry and overall lifestyle. They’ve often targeted figures with large followings to deliver the idiomatic ‘slap on the wrist’ as a symbolic warning to all others."

The Islamic Republic of Iran’s legal system imposes strict segregation rules on unmarried relations and mixed-gender contact. Women are forced to wear head scarves to maintain a “modest” presence. Critics say Iran's regime practices "gender apartheid" in connection with the repression of women. Iranian authorities frequently arrest young Iranians for holding mixed-gender parties.