Iran: couple sentenced to prison after dancing in the streets of Tehran.

07/02/2023

Fabiana Alves Castro

Women’s Rights Researcher, 

Global Human Rights Defence.

On January 31st, the Human Rights Activists News Agency (“HRANA”) reported the sentencing to prison of a young Iranian couple, after posting a video on social media dancing on the streets of Tehran (“Two Instagram Bloggers Sentenced”, 2023). They are both popular Instagram influencers in Iran (Mannie, 2023), with a combined following of nearly two million (Bubalo & Isfahani, 2023).

In October, Astiyazh Haghighi, 21, and her fiancé, Amir Mohammad Ahmadi, 22, posted a video on social media where they can be seen dancing in the Azadi Square, which translates as “Freedom Square” (Krasteva, 2023). The video shows Ms. Haghighi being lifted in the air, with her long hair flowing behind, while not wearing a headscarf (Krasteva, 2023). Although the original video has been removed from social media, copies of the clip are being widely circulated online (Mannie, 2023).

The couple did not directly link the video to the ongoing protests in Iran (Bubalo & Isfahani, 2023). Nonetheless, it defied the mandatory hijab rule in Iran, and it is reported women are not allowed to dance in public (Krasteva, 2023). As such, they were charged with the offences of “promotion of impurity and indecency, assembly and collusion against national security, and propaganda against the regime” (“Two Instagram Bloggers Sentenced”, 2023).

The amount of each individual sentence is not entirely clear. According to HRANA, each one of them received a verdict of ten years and six months (“Two Instagram Bloggers Sentenced”, 2023). This number represents the total amount of the penalty, remaining unclear the precise number for each of the charges (Bubalo & Isfahani, 2023). On the other hand, CNN reports that, according to Mizan, the individual sentence amounted to 5 years of imprisonment, for the charges of “assembly and collusion with the intention of disrupting national security” (Moshtaghian, 2023). Aside from imprisonment, the couple was also banned from  “social activities on the Internet and leaving the country for two years” (“Two Instagram Bloggers Sentenced”, 2023). Furthermore, it is reported that the verdict was issued by Abolghassem Salavati, a judge with a reputation for imposing harsh punishments (Engelbrecht, 2023).

It was additionally identified that the couple was violently arrested by security forces on November 1, 2022 (“Two Instagram Bloggers Sentenced”, 2023). They were taken to interrogation and later transferred to prison (Moshtaghian, 2023). Ms. Haghighi was being held at Qarchak, an isolated women’s detention facility (Engelbrecht, 2023), while Mrs. Haghighi was relocated from Evin Prison to Qarchak Prison in Varamin (“Two Instagram Bloggers Sentenced”, 2023). Furthermore, it is reported that the couple was denied access to defence lawyers (“Two Instagram Bloggers Sentenced”, 2023), and the cases were accelerated by the Revolutionary Court system (Engelbrecht, 2023).

Sources and further reading:

Bubalo, M, & Isfahani, K. K. (2023, February 1). Iran dancing couple given 10-year jail sentence. BBC. Retrieved February 7, 2023, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-64470506 

Engelbrecht, C. (2023, February 1). A Couple Danced in Tehran’s Streets. Now They Are in Prison. The New York Times. Retrieved February 6, 2023, from https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/01/world/middleeast/iran-couple-dancing-prison.html?smid=url-share 

Iran jails couple in viral dancing video: Activists. (2023, February 1). Arab News. Retrieved February 7, 2023, from https://arab.news/57y9c 

Krasteva, G. (2023, February 1). Young Iranian couple who danced in ‘Freedom Square’ are jailed for 10 years. Metro. Retrieved February 6, 2023, from https://metro.co.uk/2023/02/01/iran-couple-who-danced-in-freedom-square-are-jailed-for-10-years-18202497/

Mannie, K. (2023, February 3). Young couple who danced in viral video handed lengthy jail sentence in Iran. Global News. Retrieved February 6, 2023, from https://globalnews.ca/news/9454678/iran-jails-couple-dance-viral-video/ 

Moshtaghian, A. (2023, February 1). Iranian couple handed prison sentence for dancing in the streets. CNN. Retrieved February 6, 2023, from https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/01/middleeast/iran-couple-dancing-prison-intl 

Reals, T, & Wassef, K. (2023, February 1). Iran couple reportedly sentenced to decade in prison after posting dance video on Instagram. CBS News. Retrieved February 7, 2023, from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/iran-couple-dancing-reportedly-sentenced-prison-instagram-video/ 

Two Instagram Bloggers Sentenced to a Total of 21 Years in Prison. (2023, January 31). Human Rights Activists News Agency. Retrieved February 6, 2023, from https://www.en-hrana.org/two-instagram-bloggers-sentenced-to-a-total-of-21-years-in-prison/