Six
Iranians, some of whom were filmed without veils, forced to apologise to state
for 'vulgar clip which hurt public chastity'
The Telegraph, Josie Ensor, and Ahmad Vahdat, 21 May 2014
Six young
Iranians have been arrested and forced to apologise after posting a home-made
version of US singer Pharrell Williams’s hit song Happy on the internet.
The clip
shows three men and three unveiled women singing and dancing to the tune in the
streets and on rooftops in Tehran, the capital.
The Islamic
Republic took exception to the video, which was posted on Youtube and received
nearly a quarter of a million views, accusing the group of producing a “vulgar
clip which hurt public chastity”.
Hossein
Sajedinia, Tehran's police chief, said: “Following a series of intelligence and
police operations and after coordinating with the judiciary, all the suspects
were identified and arrested.
“After a
vulgar clip which hurt public chastity was released in cyberspace, police
decided to identify those involved in making that clip.”
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One of the
women who took part in the video, entitled Happy: We are From Tehran, said the
girls had covered their hair with wigs in an attempt to conform to the codes.
Under
Islamic law, in force in Iran since the 1979 revolution, women must cover
themselves from head to toe.
More than a
decade ago a “morality police” unit was formed to verify that women
scrupulously respect the dress code in public.
She said
the purpose of the video, which was posted online in April, was to “tell the
world” that young people are “joyful and want to make the situation better.
They know how to have fun, like the rest of the world.”
However,
the group were each made to “confess to their criminal acts” on state
television.
The brother
of one of the women criticised the decision to arrest his sister Reyahane.
Siavash
Taravati, who lives in the US, told the Telegraph. “The IRIB’s (Islamic
Republic of Iran Broadcasting) action in showing the “confession” of my sister
and her friends (...) is just outrageous.
“Apparently
they first arrest people without any charge or civil right to defend
themselves, then interrogate them and then make them confess and finally
broadcast their show.”
Mr Taravati
critised the tactics used by the police squad that arrested his sister.
"We understand the security forces arrest Reyhane when she was at home and
alone," he said. "The arrested people are being held at Vozara
detention centre but as to which force is holding and interrogating them no one
has any clue."
More than a
decade ago a “morality police” unit was formed to verify that women
scrupulously respect the dress code in public.
The
internet is also heavily filtered in Iran, with the authorities blocking access
to popular social networking sites.
Civil
liberties and women’s rights have returned to the forefront since President
Hassan Rohani’s election last June.
A moderate,
he had campaigned for greater cultural and social freedoms in the Islamic
republic, specifically urging police tolerance over the veil.
In a speech
over the weekend, Mr Rouhani argued that Iran should embrace the Internet
rather than view it as a threat.
But Conservatives
regularly denounce what they see as laxity on the part of the authorities on
women covering up or on behaviour deemed offensive to Islam.
Pharrell
Williams responded to Iran’s decision on his Twitter account, saying: “It’s
beyond sad these kids were arrested for trying to spread happiness.”
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"#Happiness is our people's right. We shouldn't be too hard on behaviors caused by joy." 29/6/2013
— Hassan Rouhani (@HassanRouhani) May 21, 2014
It's beyond sad these kids were arrested for trying to spread happiness http://t.co/XV1VAAJeYI
— Pharrell Williams (@Pharrell) May 21, 2014
 |
One of the
dancers updated her Instagram profile to say she had been released
|
Related Articles:
Iran 'releases' dancers from Pharrell Happy tribute video - New
Iran president vetoes WhatsApp ban
'Iranian president' engages with Twitter's Jack Dorsey
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