Tehran Woman Jailed for Nearly a Year After Confrontation Over Dog Walk

The Tehran Revolutionary Court has handed down an 11-month prison sentence to a woman following an altercation with a religious vigilante while walking her dog, according to an activist news agency.

Negin Chaparian, 34, was convicted of “spreading propaganda against the regime, provoking impurity and indecency, and outraging public decency,” HRANA reported on January 31.

In August last year, Chaparian engaged in a dispute with a religious vigilante who was harassing her for walking her dog in a Tehran park.

Chaparian was arrested after sharing photos of the altercation on social media. She spent three days in custody before being released on bail.

Iran’s clerical establishment views dog ownership as "morally depraved" and a sign of Western influence. It also argues that keeping the animals inside homes is unhygienic and un-Islamic.

However, the ownership of dogs and other pets has become more popular, particularly among young people.

Attempts by the authorities to curtail the practice through bans on dog walking have largely failed or met resistance.