It’s Now A Crime to Have A Cat!

October 25, 2024

A couple in Esfahan province has been sentenced to prison by the Islamic Republic on various charges, including “keeping a cat.” The couple, Niloufar Ghazaleh and her husband Mohammad-Ali Moghimi, had been embroiled in a legal tangle with the Judiciary for over a year, according to the Canada-based IraanWire. The case began over mandatory hejab but escalated following police visits to their workplace in a village, according to the Sharq daily newspaper.

According to their lawyer, Milad Panahipour, on October 4, 2023, police officers visited the couple’s workplace, a recreational residence, where a dispute arose over the entry permit and identification cards. The following day, the couple presented a petition signed by residents criticizing the police actions to the head of the Khur city Judiciary. This resulted in a defamation case being filed against them, leading to a verdict that imposed punishment and ordered the closure of their workplace.

Panahipour reported the wife was sentenced to “74 lashes for insulting a police officer, a fine of 240 million rials [$400] for insulting a conscript, 74 lashes for threatening officers, one year and 74 lashes for disturbing public order, and another two years for spreading false information.” Her husband was sentenced to two years for “illegal removal of the closure seal” from their business premises and one year for “threatening public health by keeping a cat.” The appeals court rejected one of the nine charges against the couple (the wife’s conviction for “spreading false information”), affirming the other eight, including the conviction for “keeping a cat,” which is not against Iranian law.

According to Panahipour, the wife is currently facing a oneyear prison term, while her husband must serve two years, based on the Iranian law that requires that persons serve the longest term when they are convicted of multiple crimes. he legal case against the couple began last year when police stopped the wife’s car for “improper hejab,” leading to charges filed by the Judiciary. But she was not convicted on that charge.