Long sentences were handed down for, among other things, “encouraging corruption and prostitution”.
In Iran, a court has sentenced a 21-year-old woman and her 22-year-old fiance to more than ten years in prison after they published a video of their dancing on social media.
Astiyazh Haghighin and By Amir Mohammad Ahmad judgments were reported in a different way BBC (switch to another service) and the Guardian (you will switch to another service).
The couple was arrested in early November after they posted a video on Instagram of their dancing in front of the Azad Tower, considered a symbol of Tehran.
Astiyazh Haghigh was not wearing a headscarf, which is considered an anti-regime gesture in Iran. In Iran, a woman is also not allowed to dance in public, let alone with a man.
The BBC has published a video of the couple’s innocent dance moment on its website.
The court in Tehran sentenced both to ten years and six months in prison. In addition, they were denied access to the internet and permission to leave the country, says the Human Rights Activists News Agency.
The sentences were handed down for “encouraging corruption and prostitution and intending to endanger the country’s national security.”
The leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran has been challenged in the demonstrations that started in September.
A 22-year-old Kurdish woman at the time Mahsa Amini died at the hands of Iran’s moral police. Amini had been arrested for violating religious dress codes.
Iranian security forces have suppressed the protests with a heavy hand. Hundreds of people have died and, according to the UN, at least 14,000 people have been arrested.