Iran’s state media reported that police had arrested 120 people for “drinking alcohol” and “mixed dancing” at an “illegal” party organized in a forest in the northern province of Mazandaran.

The head of the provincial judiciary, Muhammad Sadeq Akbari, said that the participants in the celebration “were arrested by the police for morality and a criminal case was opened.” He emphasized that “criminal acts committed in the forest of Nika included, in particular, the drinking of alcoholic beverages, extramarital affairs, mixed dancing, not wearing a veil.”

Many Iranians seeking to escape the chaos of city life meet in the north of the country for nature walks and recreational activities. However, according to Islamic law, which has been applied in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, women are required to wear a headscarf. Only non-Muslim citizens are allowed to drink alcohol at religious ceremonies, and dancing with the opposite sex is prohibited.