Iranian security forces have arrested a woman after a photo of her and another woman eating at a Tehran restaurant without their headscarves was widely circulated online, her family said on Friday.
The photo emerged on Wednesday (28) showing the two women having breakfast in a cafe that, like most cafes in Iran, is traditionally frequented by men.
One of the women in the photo, Donya Rad, was arrested shortly after the photo was posted online. THE CNN spoke to her sister, who said that security agencies had contacted Donya and summoned her to explain her actions.
“After visiting the designated location, she was arrested, after a few hours without news, Donya told me in a brief call that she was transferred to wing 209 of Evin Prison,” her sister told CNN .
Tehran’s Evin Prison is a notoriously brutal facility where the regime incarcerates political dissidents and is designated exclusively for prisoners administered by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence.
THE CNN contacted Iranian authorities to inquire about the alleged arrests.
In recent days, security forces have detained several influential Iranians, including writer and poet Mona Borzouei, Iranian football player Hossein Mahini and the daughter of former Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Faezeh Rafsanjani.
Iranian singer Shervin Hajipour was also arrested this week after releasing a moving song based on tweets shared by Iranians expressing feelings about why people are protesting, according to the NGO Iran Human Rights.
Hajipour’s song “For…” has gone viral on the internet, receiving millions of views and is being widely shared among Iranians inside and outside the country.
On the cover of the state-aligned newspaper Hamshahri on Thursday, the headline read “Celebrities of Disruption” with a photo of former football player Ali Karimi alongside notable Iranian actors and actresses who supported the protests. The article says that they “are one of the main reasons for the recent popular protests”.
“We are not the ones causing the disturbances. We are a drop of the people,” Iranian actor Ehsan Karamy said in an Instagram post addressing the allegations made by the authorities. “Don’t deceive people. Go after the hardliners who provided the fuel for this fire piece by piece.”
The government crackdown continued after nearly two weeks of protests, with dozens dead in clashes between security forces. Iran Human Rights estimates that at least 83 people, including children, were killed in protests following the death of Mahsa Amini.
More than 1,000 people linked to the protests have been detained since last weekend, according to the state news agency IRNA. At least 28 jailed journalists had been arrested as of Thursday, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Amnesty International said on Thursday that it was “investigating authorities carrying out mass arrests of protesters and bystanders, as well as journalists, political activists, lawyers and human rights defenders, including women’s rights activists and those belonging to ethnic minority groups.” oppressed”.
Despite the growing death toll and strong repression by the authorities, videos circulating on social media show protesters calling for the downfall of the clerical establishment in the cities of Qom, Rasht and Mashhad.
THE CNN cannot independently verify arrest or detention claims. A precise number of protesters arrested or detained is impossible for anyone outside the government of Iran to confirm. The numbers vary according to opposition groups, international human rights organizations and local journalists.
Source: CNN Brasil
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