An Iranian couple-- both of them social media influencers have been sentenced to 10 years in prison. The reason-- they were dancing. A video of the couple dancing in Tehran’s main landmark, Azadi Tower, went viral.
The couple has been identified as Astiyazh Haghighi and her fiance, Amir Mohammad Ahmadi, both in their early 20s. The pair dancing in from of the landmark has been seen as a symbol of defiance against the regime. The pair was arrested early in November.
Haghighi was not wearing a headscarf, a mandate for women in Iran. Women are also not allowed to dance in public.
Protests have been going on in Iran since September 16 in wake of Mahsa Amini's death. Amini died in police custody. She was held for not wearing her headscarf properly, reportedly violating the state's strict dress code for women.
Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) cited sources close to their families as saying they had been deprived of lawyers during the court proceedings and attempts to secure their release on bail had been rejected, The Guardian reported.
Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi, on Wednesday, said that Instagram and Whatsapp will remain blocked in the country.