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21 May 2014

Iran – a country where being ‘Happy’ is a crime?

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A group of young Iranians who made their own version of Pharrell Williams’ hit Happy and posted it on YouTube have been arrested, it emerges.

About a month ago, six young Iranian men and women made the video above, their own version of Pharrell Williams’ Happy, and posted it on YouTube.

Earlier this week in Iran, they were arrested and then appeared on state television expressing remorse for their guilty act.

But a message apparently posted by one of the women’s brothers on Facebook now suggests they may have been released on bail amid an interesting intervention from the Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, on Twitter (see below).

Siavash Taravati wrote on Facebook earlier that his sister had been arrested for taking part in the video: “My sister, Reihane Taravati, and her friends got arrested last night for crime of making and sharing a home-made video showing them dancing with the “Happy” song of Pharrell Williams!! So sad. Please share the news to protect these innocent people.”

But his latest post suggested she had been released on bail, although he said he had not yet been able to contact her.

The Iranian group’s video was just one of many from around the world to seize on the meme of re-making the video to Happy, following in the footsteps of British Muslims, people with Down’s Syndrome, and survivors of Typhoon Haiyan.

But their arrests have prompted many to brand Iran a country where dancing, singing and simply being happy has become a crime – something President Rouhani apparently does not want to see.

Tehran’s police chief, Hossein Sajedinia, confirmed to the Isna news agency that the six were originally detained in connection with an “obnoxious” video released on social media.

“We launched a police investigation in cooperation with the judicial authorities and identified and arrested the accused within six hours,” he said, adding that those arrested acknowledged that they had done wrong.

In the TV confession, the group apparently say they were duped and they had been promised that the video would not appear online. However, there is some doubt over the authenticity of the “confession”- human rights activists have long condemned what they describe as forced confessions broadcast on state TV in Iran, often made under duress.

#freehappyIranians

On Twitter, the hashtag #freehappyIranians took off, with people from all over the world pledging their support.

Pharrell Williams himself, who wept when he saw other versions of his song from across the world on Oprah Winfrey, posted on Facebook: “It is beyond sad that these kids were arrested for trying to spread happiness.”