An Iranian court has handed jail sentences of more than 10 years each to a young couple who danced in front of one of Tehran’s main landmarks in a video seen as a symbol of defiance against the regime, activists have said.
Astiyazh Haghighi and her fiance, Amir Mohammad Ahmadi, both in their early 20s, were arrested in early November after a video went viral showing them dancing romantically in front of the Azadi Tower.
Haghighi was not wearing a headscarf, in defiance of Iran’s strict rules. Women are also not allowed to dance in public, let alone with a man.
A court in #Iran sentenced a couple to 10.5 years in prison for dancing in the street, the Al Arabiya newspaper reported.
They were accused of conspiring to undermine national security and engaging in anti-regime propaganda. pic.twitter.com/EWrsSgohQs
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) January 31, 2023
