At the end of November, two actresses and a director were arrested in Tehran. Your crime: In a video, you show silent men and women, the latter without headgear. Now the three are free again, at least for the time being.
According to media reports, three artists have been released on bail in Iran after they had been arrested for a video supporting the protest movement in the country. Theater director Hamid Pourasari and actresses Soheila Golestani and Faeseh Aeen have been at large since Sunday evening, the Isna news agency reported.
According to human rights groups, Pourasari and Golestani were arrested at the end of November after the protest video was published. There was particular concern about Golestani, the artist suffers from a brain tumor and is dependent on medication. The video featured ten women and six men from Iran's film and theater industry, who took turns standing silently in front of the camera. In the video, which went viral online, none of the women wore a hat, breaking the law in Iran. During the protests, which have now lasted two and a half months, several Iranian actresses have removed the headscarf required for women in the Islamic Republic, putting themselves at risk of arrest.
In Iran, people have been taking to the streets since the death of the young Kurd Mahsa Amini on September 16. The 22-year-old died after being arrested by the vice squad because of an improperly worn headscarf. Activists accuse the police of abusing the young woman. Hundreds of people have been killed in the protests and numerous arrests have been made. 23-year-old Mohsen Shekari was executed in Iran on Thursday. He was accused of injuring a member of the Basij militias during a roadblock in Tehran. Shekari was convicted in summary proceedings and an appeal was not allowed.
The execution sparked angry protests across the country. Among those arrested as a result of the protests were well-known personalities from film, sports and politics, some of whom have since been released. International award-winning directors Mohammed Rasulof and Jafar Panahi have remained behind bars since their arrest earlier this year.
