Arrest of dancing Iranian teenager triggers protest online

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The arrest of an Iranian teenage girl who posted videos of herself dancing in her room has triggered outcry from Iranian women and netizens around the world.

Maedeh Hojabri, an 18-year-old gymnast, reportedly made a public apology in a video aired by Iranian state TV last Friday confessing to “breaking moral norms.”

Before the arrest, the teenager had shared around 300 videos on her Instagram account, some featuring herself dancing to Iranian and Western music without wearing the compulsory headscarf or hijab. Under Iran’s Islamic Sharia law, women are required to wear headscarves and modest clothing in public and are banned from dancing in public.

A dance video post by 18-year-old Iranian teenager Maedeh Hojabri. /Photo via Instagram

“I had no bad intentions ... I did not want to encourage others to do the same ... I did not work with a network,” Hojabri told state TV while crying. Several local papers reported that three other individuals were also arrested on similar charges and were released on bail afterwards.

After the incident, many Iranian women started sharing videos of themselves dancing in public on social media platforms including Twitter and Instagram. On Twitter, a hashtag translating to #DancingIsNotACrime has been created as people voiced support for the teenagers.

“Art is the language of the soul, highest of the hopes, not a crime,” said Twitter user @samzglam sharing her own dancing clip.

Twitter user @samzglam uploaded photo of herself dancing to show support for Hojabri. /Screenshot via Twitter

Another Twitter user @mrzapataa posted a video of his wife dancing while he and a few others played musical instruments accompanying her moves. “With imprisonment and threats and humiliation, they cannot impose lifestyle on others,” his tweet reads.

Twitter user @mrzapataa shared dancing video. /Screenshot via Twitter

On Monday, Hojabri posted a photo on Instagram of her smiling after getting released, garnering more than 7,000 likes. The teenager now has over 70,000 followers on the photo and video sharing platform.

Access to many social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and the Telegram messaging app are blocked in Iran. Iranian officials said last week the judiciary was considering blocking access to Instagram.

(With input from Reuters)