CEO of Iranian Retailer Digikala Arrested Amid Mug Controversy

Iranian authorities have arrested the CEO of the country’s largest online retailer after it published pictures online showing mugs deemed "offensive to the sacred." 

Hamid Mohammadi, the chairman of the board of directors of Digikala Group, said on the social media platform X on February 11 that Masoud Tabatabai's arrest occurred "despite the explanations and efforts made in recent days to resolve the recent misunderstandings."

The judiciary’s Mizan news agency said on February 8 that the Tehran Prosecutor's Office had filed a case against DigiKala, known as “Iran’s Amazon.”

Social media users had shared pictures of mugs sold on the platform bearing the name of the daughter of Islam’s prophet Muhammad, Fatemeh Zahra, who was married to the first Imam of Shia Muslims, Imam Ali.

"The face of Fatemeh Zahra when you touch her mug," is written on the mug in question, with a drawing of a pet cat.

While the name is commonly used for girls in Iran, the targeted audience for the product remained unclear.

According to Tasnim, a news agency tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), “people” had complained about some products sold on Digikala’s website.

The report expressed concern about the lack of a designated authority to address such "breaches of norms" and urged relevant judicial and oversight bodies to implement stricter measures to prevent such occurrences in the future.