Iranian security forces arrest a woman for eating at restaurant in public without her hijab, family says

CNN
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Iranian security forces arrested a woman after a photo of her and another woman dining at a restaurant in Tehran without a headscarf went viral online, her family said on Friday. The photo that emerged Wednesday shows two women having breakfast at a cafe that, like most cafes in Iran, is traditionally patronized by men.

One of the women in the photo, Donya Rad, was arrested shortly after the photo was posted online. CNN spoke to her sister, who said security agencies contacted Donya and summoned her to explain her actions.

“After visiting the designated place she was arrested, after a few hours with no news, Donya told me on a short call that she had been transferred to Ward 209 of Evin Prison,” sister of her told CNN. Tehran’s Evin Prison is a notoriously brutal facility where the regime holds dissidents and is designated exclusively for prisoners managed by Iran’s Intelligence Ministry.

CNN has contacted Iranian authorities about the alleged arrests.

In recent days, security forces are said to have arrested a number of influential Iranians, including writer and poet Mona Borzouei, Iranian football player Hossein Mahini, and the daughter of the former President of Iran. Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Faezeh Rafsanjani.

Iranian singer Shervin Hajipour was also arrested this week after releasing a poignant song based on tweets shared by Iranians expressing feelings about why people are protesting, according to the Human Rights Foundation. Iran..

Hajipour’s song “For…” has gone viral online, receiving millions of views and is being shared widely among the Iranian community both at home and abroad.

On the cover of the state-run daily Hamshahri on Thursday, the headline read “Celebrities of Disturbance” with an image of former soccer player Ali Karimi standing alongside actors and actresses. famous Iranians who spoke out in support of the protests. The article states that they are “one of the main reasons for the recent popular protests.”

“We are not the ones causing the disturbance. Iranian actor Ehsan Karamy said in an Instagram post referring to the authorities’ claims. “Don’t fool the people. Let’s chase after the hardworking people who supplied the firewood for this fire piece by piece. ”

The government crackdown has continued after nearly two weeks of protests, with dozens dead in clashes between security forces. Human Rights Iran estimates that at least 83 people, including children, are confirmed to have been killed in the protests following the death of Iran. Mahsa Amini.

According to state news agency IRNA, more than a thousand people involved in the protests were arrested last weekend. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 28 arrested journalists have been arrested as of Thursday.

Amnesty International said on Thursday it was “investigating the authorities’ conduct of mass arrests of protesters and bystanders, as well as journalists, political activists, lawyers and human rights defenders, including women’s rights activists and people from oppressed ethnic groups”.

Despite the growing death toll and fierce government crackdown, videos circulating on social media showed protesters calling for the collapse of clerical institutions in the cities of Qom, Rasht and Mashhad.

CNN was unable to independently verify arrest or detention claims. People outside the Iranian government could not confirm an exact number of protesters arrested or detained. Numbers vary by opposition groups, international human rights organizations and local journalists.