The Iranian authorities have launched a campaign to intimidate those who have removed the veil, and they do so by arresting women who have shown their solidarity with the protests and have appeared on social networks without veils. The latest to join this list is Taraneh Alidoosti, one of the most important actresses in Iran. Her face is recognized by Western viewers for her participation in several films by the renowned Asghar Farhadi, including The Seller, Oscar winner in 2016.
Alidoosti made public his support for the protests from the beginning. In one of her posts on Instagram, she appears with her hair loose and with a sign that reads "Zan, zendegi, azadi" or "Woman, life, freedom", the motto that has dominated these mobilizations led by women. This photo received the approval of more than a million followers on the social network, which was blocked after the young Mahsa Amini died after being captured by the morality police for "not dressing according to the canons of the Islamic Republic ”.
The so-called celebrities – people from the cinema, but also musicians, athletes or journalists – have been accused by the authorities of having set fire to the protests. They hold them responsible for introducing Western culture into the country and for being tools of the "enemies" of Iran.
Taraneh Alidoosti – who follows the line of many other actresses – did not express her solidarity with those on the street, but instead published writings showing her displeasure with the Islamic Republic. In one of them she assured that she would not leave the country, that she did not have a foreign residence or passport and that she would remain in Iran looking straight ahead like all normal people, "like when I scream for my rights."
The last of his pronouncements came after the execution of Mohsen Shekari, the first of the young people to be hanged, on December 8, as a result of his participation in these protests. The courts found him guilty – in a trial considered “express” by human rights organizations – of having blocked a street in Tehran and of having wounded several members of the security forces with a knife. “His name of his was Mohsen Shekari. Any international organization that is watching this bloodshed and not taking action is a disgrace to humanity,” Alidoosti wrote on Instagram. The authorities' response came ten days later, when a group of men arrived at his house and took it away, without initially knowing his fate.
She is not the only one. A few days ago, a tour guide who had a strong presence in the networks, and of whom her friends ask to keep her name, went through the same situation. She is currently in Evin jail, in Tehran. At least one other well-known actress was visited days ago by more than a dozen men who searched her home and arrested her, but she was released on bail pending trial.
In the case of Taraneh Alidoosti, she was missing for a few hours until Mizan, the news agency of the judicial system, reported on her capture. Later, the Tasmin agency, linked to the Revolutionary Guards, claimed that she had been detained for posting false and misleading content that incited "riots." The world of cinema has shown solidarity with one of the most awarded artists in the country. A group of directors and actresses approached the prison on Sunday to ask for her release.
"They are using all possible tricks to achieve once and for all that the protests die and the women remain silent," said a sociologist yesterday in Tehran who asks to be identified as Golnar. Last weekend it was learned that journalists Nilufar Hamedani and Elahe Mohamadi, who were among the first to tell the tragic story of Mahsa Amini, were transferred to Qarchak prison.
At least 11 people (human rights organizations count 21) have received death sentences, including 26-year-old professional footballer Amir Nasr-Azadani, who has not been heard from for more than a week.
