Nine men convicted of disturbing the peace and
damaging public property received 74 lashes each in the religious
city of Qom, an Iranian newspaper said on Sunday.
Judicial officials said the nine men had "disturbed the public
peace, had group fights and damaged public property", the newspaper
Sarmayeh reported. Each received 74 lashes in Qom, the Islamic
Republic's centre of Shi'ite learning.
It said the men had damaged 15 public vehicles and broken windows
with sticks and bottles.
Public lashings were common after the 1979 Islamic revolution but
have been less frequent in recent years. Pro-reform politicians
under former President Mohammad Khatami opposed the practice partly
because of the negative image it created abroad.
Under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who came to power vowing a
return to revolutionary values, authorities have launched a
crackdown on crime and the violation of religious codes, such as
dress regulations. .
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