Iranian Couple Sentenced Following Social Media Posts
Recent reports from the BBC confirm the arrest of an Iranian couple after they shared a video on social media platforms. The couple, Astiazh Haghighi and Amir Mohammad Ahmadi, have drawn significant media attention regarding the circumstances of their detainment.
CBS News has reported that the Iranian state media outlet, Mizan, asserts that Haghighi and Ahmadi were not arrested for dancing but rather for allegedly inciting public resistance through their Instagram posts. Mizan claims their posts encouraged unrest, describing them as “a call for protests” which led to their detention.
Mizan also contested the claims of their 10-year sentences, stating that the couple faced a lesser sentence of five years for their activities related to social media protests. They insisted that reports of the couple receiving a decade-long punishment were misleading: “It is clear that anti-revolutionary forces have falsely reported the charges,” the Mizan news agency articulated in its statement, according to Reuters.
The Tehran court handed down sentences totalling 21 years for the couple, with each being individually sentenced to 10 years and 6 months. Charges against them included “promotion of impurity and indecency,” “assembly and collusion against national security,” and “propaganda against the regime,” as reported by the Washington Post. Additionally, they have been barred from social media use and prohibited from leaving the country for a period of two years. As of now, Haghighi has not posted on her account since September 28, 2022, while Ahmadi’s last post dates back to early September.
The situation comes amid escalating protests across Iran against the government’s theocratic regime, a movement amplified by the tragic death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who died while in custody of the morality police following her arrest for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly.
In the aftermath of Amini’s death, Iranian officials have targeted various public figures who have criticized the government’s response, leading to a crackdown that includes the arrests of high-profile individuals like actress Taraneh Alidoosti and celebrity chef Navab Ebrahimi.
In a show of support for Amini, Haghighi expressed on Instagram in September, “Hoping tomorrow will be a better tomorrow. Let’s hold each other’s hands and support each other. We are all Iranians and we need to help each other.”
Discussion about this post