Five teenage girls were detained in Iran after they publicly recorded a video dancing to Selena Gomez and Rema's song 'Calm down' and posted it on the social media platform TikTok on International Women's Day.
روز زن تبریک میگیم به تمام زن هایی که پیشرو در مسیر آزادی بودن
— شهرک اکباتان (@shahrak_ekbatan) March 8, 2023
دمتون گرم
به امید آزادی#زن_زندگی_آزادی pic.twitter.com/fdyg9P6ZCL
The video, shot in Ekbatan town in western Tehran, showed the girls dancing without headscarves. It is mandatory for women to wear headscarves in Iran. And as soon as the video went viral, security forces started looking for the girls featured in the clip.
The authorities reportedly viewed CCTV footage and questioned the guards at the property.
The group of girls was first summoned after identification and was left with a warning. However, they were again called in later, only to be detained for two days before being pressured to make a confession. This was confirmed by Shahrak Ekbatan Twitter account, which posts about events and incidents in the neighbourhood.
دختران اکباتان که فیلم رقصشون جهانی شد بعد تذکری که گرفتن باز قوه قضاییه خواستتشون و ۲روز بازداشت بودن.
— شهرک اکباتان (@shahrak_ekbatan) March 13, 2023
حالا ازشون اعتراف اجباری گرفته شده و تو پیج مربی رقص خانوم میترا آپلود شده.
زورشون به دخترامون رسیده؟
بهشون نشون میدیم چه خبره!#بچه_های_اکباتان #مهسا_امينی pic.twitter.com/kFiO6NkHDu
In a photo published on social media, five girls can be seen standing at the same spot as the video with heads lowered and donning headscarves.
It is not yet clear if the video was shot as a form of protest.
In a similar incident, in February this year, a young couple was sentenced to 10 years in prison for dancing near Tehran’s Azadi Square.
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