Iran bans public affection

TEHRAN, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- A 27-year-old Iranian woman killed herself after being arrested for walking in a public park with her boyfriend.

Zuhara Bani, a medical student, hanged herself in a detention facility last week after she was charged with a "moral offense" under Iran's crackdown on behavior deemed inappropriate for Muslims, Ynetnews.com reported Monday.

The crackdown begun this year forbids unmarried couples from appearing together in public and bans all couples from kissing and holding hands in public, Fars News Agency reported.

"If someone walks in the street with his partner and commits an offense, we will deal with it," Ahmad Ruzbahani, chief of the morality police, told Fars.