Iranian Actors Arrested After Removing Hijab In Solidarity With Protests

Two prominent Iranian actors were arrested for publically supporting the anti-government protests that sparked after Mahsa Amini’s death.

Both actors, Hengameh Ghaziani and Katayoun Riahi had earlier appeared in public without their headscarves in a gesture of solidarity with demonstrators. They were detained on Sunday, November 20, on the order of Iran’s prosecutor’s office.

Iranian Actors Arrested

Hengameh Ghaziani

Before her arrest, the 52-year-old Ghaziani took to social media and wrote, “This may be my last post. From this moment on, if anything happens to me, know that I will always be with the people of Iran until my last breath”.

Ghaziana shared a video of herself in public without her headscarf and tying her hair into a ponytail.

The actor had already been indicated that she had been summoned by the judiciary, and later posted a video of herself removing the mandatory hijab.

She had previously described the Iranian government as a “child-killer” and accused them of murdering more than 50 children.

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Katayuon Riahi

The 60-year-old actor Katayuon Riahi was arrested for the same reason according to state media. In September, Riahi gave an interview with the London-based outlet, Iran International TV without wearing a hijab.

She was among the first celebrities to take off their hijab amidst the nationwide protests. She wrote, “Iranian women are the voices of one another”.

Reportedly, security officers attempted to murder her earlier but she managed to escape in time. Two months later, Riahi was arrested.

Mahsa Amini Protests

The death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police set off a series of nationwide and international protests. She was detained by the morality police for allegedly wearing her headscarf too loosely.

The arrest of Hengameh Ghaziani and Katayuon Riahi is an example of high-profile Iranian public figures being summoned by prosecutors due to "provocative" material posted on their social media.

Online news agency Mizan reported that other prominent actors including Mitra Hajjar and Bran Kosari were also summoned.

Earlier, actor Taraneh Alidoosti posted an image of herself on her social media without a hijab and vowed to stay in Iran at "any price". She said she planned to stop working and focus on supporting the families of those killed or arrested in the protest crackdown.