Five young Iranian ladies who danced to Nigerian Afrobeat singer Rema’s song ‘Calm Down’ have been allegedly arrested.
The video of the five girls went viral on Tuesday for dancing to Rema’s hit song without headscarves.
The Times of Israel reported that there are anxieties about their well-being for filming themselves dancing as they were arrested and forced into confessing by Iran’s authorities.
The footage showed the women dancing and slightly showing their stomachs, near highrise buildings in the Tehran residential district of Ekbatan to the song.
It spread widely on TikTok and other social media channels last week around International Women’s Day on March 8.
Activists, apparently from the Ekbatan area, first posted the video on Telegram and Twitter. They said authorities had been asking residents in the area if they knew the women, based on the footage, The Times of Israel said.
On Tuesday, the activists alleged the women had been detained and forced into making a video in which they expressed regret.
In the Islamic Republic, it is illegal for women to dance in public as well as to not wear the Islamic headscarf.
Rema retweeted the video of the women dancing with their long hair uncovered and commented: “To all the beautiful women who are fighting for a better world, I’m inspired by you, I sing for you and I dream with you.”
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