Two Iranian soccer players are facing up to 74 lashes after their celebratory behavior ran afoul of the Islamic nation’s notoriously conservative sensibilities.
From The Age:
Members of parliament, sports officials and judges have called for the “swift punishment” of Mohammad Nosrati and Sheys Rezaei, two football stars who play for one of Iran’s most popular clubs, Tehran-based Persepolis.
So what did they do? As the picture and video both show, one of the players, Nosrati, affectionately placed his hand between Rezaei’s buttocks. Unfortunately for the young men in question, the powers that be deemed the matter to be more serious than a mere crime against taste.
Judge Valiollah Hosseini described the government viewpoint:
This action can be considered a violation of public chastity. The punishment of this crime is prison up to two months and 74 lashes.
Video of the second incident
