Drinking, mingling lead to 60 arrests in Iran

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Iranian police arrested 60 people at a party last weekend where alcohol was served and men and women mingled freely, a newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Under Iran's Islamic laws, women must cover their hair and bodies and alcohol is banned. Men and women are not allowed to mix freely if they are not related. Penalties can include lashes, fines or imprisonment.

"Police arrested 60 young men and women at a party which was held in a garden," the Jam-e Jam newspaper said.

"Alcohol was served at the party on Saturday night and men and women were mingling freely," it said adding that an unidentified Iranian soccer player was among those detained at the event, near Tehran.

The paper gave no further details.

Since 2008, Iranian police have been cracking down on what the authorities consider immoral behaviour.

- Reuters