Calay News
Five Iranian women who had made a video choreographed to Rema’s song “Calm Down” were arrested and forced to record an apology video in Ekbatan, a residential area of Tehran. The original video went viral on social media around International Women’s Day, showing the women wearing crop tops and not covering their heads, which violates Iranian law requiring women to wear a headscarf to cover their hair.
The death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was arrested by morality police for allegedly violating the women’s dress code sparked outrage in the country. Since then, more and more women have protested in public by wearing their heads uncovered or removing their headscarves.
The Twitter and Telegram accounts that posted the video reported that Iranian authorities had inspected security cameras to identify the young women and then arrested them. The women were detained for two days and then forced to record a video apologizing for their behavior.
In the apology video, the women appear with their heads covered by veils and express regret for dancing in the original video. The authenticity and circumstances of this video could not be independently verified.
The situation of women in Iran remains sensitive, and their freedom of expression and dress is limited by law and the authorities. The death of Mahsa Amini has raised awareness of the treatment of women in Iran and led more women to protest against these restrictions.
