A couple in their 20s has been given a jail sentence of 10 years in Iran over dance video. The couple had posted a video dancing together in the street. The couple has been reportedly punished for promoting corruption, prostitution, and propaganda.
The video showed them dancing together at Tehran’s Azadi Tower. Astiyazh Haghighi and her fiance Amir Mohammad Ahmadi were arrested back in November. The girl is not seen wearing the headscarf in the video in defiance of the strict rules placed by the Iranian regime. Women are also not allowed to dance in public, let alone with a man.
A revolutionary court in Iran sentenced them each to 10 years and six months in prison. They are not allowed to use the internet and leave Iran, reports the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).
The couple has a massive Instagram following in Tehran. The court accused them of “encouraging corruption and public prostitution” as well as “gathering to disrupt national security.”
HRANA says the close family sources say the couple is barred from having lawyers during the court proceedings. The court also quashed their bail applications.
The female is being held in the notorious Qarchak prison for women outside Tehran known for its conditions of facilities.
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Authorities are giving out heavy punishments to people following the protests across the country regarding the death of Mahsa Amini. She died in police custody in September last year. She was arrested in Tehran for allegedly violating the rule requiring women to cover their hair with a hijab, or headscarf. Hundreds have been killed and thousands were arrested in the protest against her death.
The family home of the female victims was raised before her arrest. She describes herself as a fashion designer. If the verdict persists, they will have to serve the longest jail terms.