A man and a woman have been arrested in Iran after a video clip of their public marriage proposal went viral.
Footage shared on social media shows the man standing in a heart-shaped ring of flower petals with red and white balloons covering the floor.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The woman says yes to his offer of marriage, before accepting the engagement ring and embracing her partner in front of a crowd of cheering onlookers.
Mostafa Norouzi, deputy police chief in Arak, told the local press that the display went against the country’s strict Islamic values.
It is unacceptable for young people “to do whatever is common in other places of the world and disregard mores, culture and religion” in Iran, he said.
The pair’s “offense is very clear and there is no need for explanation” about the reason for their arrest, Norouzi added.
But lawyer Isa Amini, head of the Tehran Bar Association, said he could not understand what the grounds were for the arrest as the couple did not commit any wrongdoing, the Associated Press reports.
The pair have since been released on bail.
It is not the first time Iran’s laws on public decency have received international attention, says the BBC.
Last year, a teenage girl was arrested after she posted a clip of herself dancing on Instagram, and in 2014 a group of young people were detained for appearing in a video dancing to Pharrell Williams’ song Happy.
-
Cop30: is the UN climate summit over before it begins?Today’s Big Question Trump administration will not send any high-level representatives, while most nations failed to submit updated plans for cutting greenhouse gas emissions
-
‘The Big Crunch’: why science is divided over the future of the universeThe Explainer New study upends the prevailing theory about dark matter and says it is weakening
-
Quiz of The Week: 1 – 7 NovemberQuiz Have you been paying attention to The Week’s news?
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
'Axis of upheaval': will China summit cement new world order?Today's Big Question Xi calls on anti-US alliance to cooperate in new China-led global system – but fault lines remain
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
Iran still has enriched uranium, Israeli official saysSpeed Read It remains unclear how long it would take Iran to rebuild its nuclear program following US and Israeli attacks
