Iranian Teenager Arrested After Dancing In A Video On Instagram
Eighteen year old Maedeh Hojabri has been arrested after she posted videos of herself dancing in her bedroom on Instagram. The Iranian national admitted in a state TV broadcast on Friday that she had broken moral norms, however maintained that this wasn’t her intention.
Hojabri said she was simply trying to attract more followers to her social media accounts, which range between 12,000 and 66,000 followers. None of her social media accounts are verified, and collectively house more than 300 videos of Hojabri. The gymnast posts videos dancing in both Western and Iranian styles, and has appeared in videos where she is not wearing the compulsory Islamic headscarf, the hijab.
Iran has blocked access to plenty of social media websites, including Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and messaging app Telegram. Millions of Iranians still use these websites via proxies and virtual private networks, and it is believed that plans are being drawn up to block access to Instagram as well.
Iranian police have stated that they plan to shut down many Instagram accounts held by Iranian nationals, and the judiciary is planning on blocking access to the social media platform altogether. Security and judiciary forces periodically arrest people for behavior that is considered un-Islamic. In 2014, six men and women were arrested and sentenced to suspended prison time after appearing in a video where they danced to Pharrel Williams’ Happy.
