A prominent Iranian tech CEO has been sentenced to 74 lashes and had his company’s business license revoked after authorities accused the firm of hosting a mixed-gender party where women appeared without hijabs.
Nima Ashrafzadeh is CEO of Iranian e-commerce platform Pindo, a subsidiary of Iran's top online retailer Digikala.
The internal celebration at Pindo last December was reportedly deemed by authorities to have violated public morality codes because men and women attended together and some women appeared unveiled, according to Tehran-based tech outlet Digiato.
Yalda Night, an ancient Persian festival marking the year’s longest night, is traditionally celebrated in Iran with gatherings of family and friends, poetry readings, and fruit such as pomegranates and watermelon.
Digikala co-founder Hamid Mohammadi confirmed the sentence on the social platform X, saying the verdict had become final. He called it “unbelievable” and said it sends a “discouraging message” to those working in Iran’s digital economy.
“A few weeks ago, leaders of the digital economy were invited to meetings with the president and the heads of all three branches of government, where we heard promises of support,” Mohammadi wrote on Tuesday. “Today, the CEO of Pindo has been sentenced to 74 lashes, and the company’s license has been revoked.”
Mohammadi described the punishment as evidence of “a deep gap between official words and action,” saying it reflects growing uncertainty for Iran’s private sector and tech entrepreneurs.
Part of broader hijab crackdown
The case comes amid a renewed campaign by Iranian authorities to enforce mandatory hijab laws in both public and private settings. Earlier this month, judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said “the current situation cannot continue,” announcing new coordination between police, prosecutors, and regulators to address what he called “social disorders” linked to hijab violations.
Ejei said intelligence agencies had been ordered to identify “organized promoters of improper hijab,” and warned that restaurants, cafés, and companies could face permanent closure if violations occurred on their premises. Government institutions, he added, would also be held responsible for “unlawful behavior” at official events.
The judiciary statement followed a letter from 155 lawmakers urging tougher enforcement, accusing the courts of passivity toward noncompliance and demanding “consistent application of existing regulations.”
Despite these pressures, many women in major Iranian cities continue to appear unveiled in public spaces, and videos circulating online show mixed gatherings, music, and casual dress — a sign of ongoing defiance amid an intensifying state crackdown.
“During just one week, emergency departments nationwide recorded over 170,000 pollution-related visits,” Raisi said on Tuesday, noting that cases had risen by 20 to 25 percent compared with normal levels. “Most of these patients came from the 11 provinces with the highest pollution, showing the scale of the crisis,” he added.
Raisi said the Health Ministry estimates the annual health cost of pollution at about $17 billion, and that more than 59,000 people died last year from diseases linked to poor air quality.
Citing World Health Organization data, Raisi said most Iranian cities suffer from dangerously high levels of pollutants. “Tehran had only 14 clean-air days last year, Isfahan 16, Mashhad 28, and Ahvaz just two,” he said. “This means a large part of the population is exposed to hazardous air nearly all year.”
He said particles smaller than 2.5 microns “enter the bloodstream quickly and are proven causes of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and severe respiratory disorders.”
Tehran suffers record air pollution, Shargh reports
The reformist daily Shargh said the current Iranian year, 1404, has been Tehran’s worst for air pollution in at least two decades, with more than half of all days so far classified as polluted. “In no previous year have the data been this dark,” wrote analyst Ali Pirhosseinlou in a Tuesday commentary.
He said the number of “acceptable” air-quality days has dropped to about one-third of the year, while at least four days so far have seen daily air quality index readings above 200 — considered “very unhealthy.”
“The situation is worse than at any time in the past two decades,” Shargh wrote. “There is no plan to control the sources of pollution. No effort to renew diesel fleets, improve fuel quality, or reduce traffic. Instead, the municipality has restricted access to air-quality data.”
The paper concluded: “This is not interpretation – it is reality.”