Iranian authorities have expanded a ban on strolling canine in public to many cities nationwide, citing public well being, social order and security considerations, home media has reported.
The ban – which echoes a 2019 police directive that barred strolling canine in Tehran – was expanded to Ilam metropolis within the west on Sunday, based on experiences.
At the very least 17 different cities have launched comparable bans in current days, together with Isfahan within the centre and Kerman within the south.
Proudly owning and strolling canine has been a contentious subject because the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, although there isn’t any legislation banning canine possession outright.
Many spiritual students, nonetheless, take into account petting canine or coming into contact with their saliva as “najis” or ritually impure, whereas some officers view them as a logo of western cultural affect.
Native authorities have periodically launched bans on strolling canine in public areas or carrying them in automobiles as a part of a wider marketing campaign to discourage their possession.
Imposing the restrictions has been inconsistent, as many house owners proceed to stroll their canine in Tehran and elsewhere throughout Iran.
On Sunday, the reformist Etemad newspaper quoted an official from Ilam metropolis as saying that “authorized motion shall be taken towards violators”, with out elaborating.
On Saturday, the state newspaper Iran stated the planetary events measures have been aimed toward “sustaining public order, guaranteeing security and defending public well being”.
“Canine strolling is a risk to public well being, peace and luxury,” stated Abbas Najafi, the prosecutor of the western metropolis of Hamedan, as quoted by the Iran newspaper.
In 2021, 75 lawmakers condemned pet possession as a “harmful social downside”, saying it may “steadily change the Iranian and Islamic lifestyle”.
In 2017, Iran’s supreme chief, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, stated “conserving canine for causes aside from herding, searching and guard canine is taken into account reprehensible”.
“If this apply resembles that of non-Muslims, promotes their tradition or causes hurt and disturbance to neighbours, it’s deemed forbidden,” he added, based on Tasnim information company.