Iran: uncertainty over the fate of five young women arrested for choreography

The video had gone viral on social media. © Twitter video screenshot

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

According to a video posted on social media, the five women who had shot a dance on a global hit that had gone viral were arrested and forced to record a video in which they expressed their regrets.

Advertising

Read more

Their video, shot in Ekbatan, a residential area of Tehran, went viral on social media around International Women's Day, March 8. We saw five young women, in crop tops and hair in the wind, perform a choreography on the song Calm Down, Nigerian singer Rema, became a worldwide hit after the duet recorded with American star Selena Gomez.

Iranian law requires women to wear headscarves covering their heads and necks and concealing their hair. But since the beginning of the protest, more and more women have been seen bareheaded in public or taking off their headscarves during demonstrations. It was the death on 16 September of Mahsa Amini, 22, after being arrested by the morality police for allegedly violating the dress code for women, that had triggered the movement of anger in the country.

► READ ALSO: Iran: between pardons and death sentences, the power wants to show that it keeps control

Apology?

The Twitter and Twitter accounts with the hashtags #Shahrak Ekbatan that were the first to broadcast the video reported that Iranian authorities had inspected CCTV footage to identify the young women. On Tuesday, the accounts claimed the young women were arrested, detained for two days, and forced to record a video in which they apologized.

DISGUST. For dancing without a veil for International Women's Day, these 5 residents of the Ekbatan district of Tehran were arrested 2 days ago before being forced to give themselves veiled to televised confessions in which they say they regret their gesture. https://t.co/LPKTPFWcq5 pic.twitter.com/nvFzjvivLi

— Armin Arefi (@arminarefi) March 13, 2023

A video emerged on social media, showing five women, their heads veiled, and advancing one after the other to express regret for dancing to the video.

AFP was unable to verify the authenticity or circumstances under which the latter video was shot.

(

Avec AFP) 

Newsletter Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

Read on on the same topics:

  • Iran
  • Wives
  • Women's rights
  • Social Media