A young couple has been sentenced to ten years in prison after they posted a video of them dancing in front of one of Iran’s prominent landmarks.
According to BBC, Amir Mohammad Ahmadi, 22, and his fiancée Astiyazh Haghighi, 21, were arrested in November last year after they shared a video of them dancing in front of the Azadi Tower.
In the video, the woman was not wearing a headscarf – which is deemed an act of defiance against the rules of the Islamic republic.
Women in the country are also not allowed to dance in public – let alone with a man.
A court in the city has sentenced them to 10 years and six months in jail each, and also barred them from leaving the country and using the internet, said US-based Human Rights Activists News Agenvy (HRANA), the Guardian reported.
According to the publication, the two were convicted of “encouraging corruption and public prost*tution” as well as “gathering with the intention of disrupting national security.”
The outlet also reported that according to HRANA, the couple’s families were left unable to get lawyers during the court proceedings and their desperate attempts to ensure their release on bail had been rejected.
The couple’s viral video had been praised online as a symbol of liberation by the protest movement of the country.
At one point, Ahmadi can be seen lifting Haghighi with her hair flowing freely in the air.
The video have been deleted from their Instagram accounts but it has been shared by internet users on other social media platforms.
The Mizan news website said the couple were not arrested for dancing but for online activities that included “encouraging people to riot against the country and subversion.”
Iran: A 21-y-o couple have been sentenced to 10 years in jail each for dancing at the foot of Tehran's Azadi (Freedom) Tower, sources close to them tell @nimnia11. Regime is handing out heavy sentences to anyone defying its strict rules. #آستیاژ_حقیقی #امیرمحمد_احمدی #مهسا_امینی pic.twitter.com/F0ahwzJhA1
ADVERTISEMENT — Khosro Kalbasi Isfahani (@KhosroKalbasi) January 30, 2023
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments section and SHARE this story with your friends and family!
Recommended Video For You!
“Dancing Students Perform Awesome Optical Illusion”