Nelson Jacob Kagame
JF-Expert Member
- Dec 26, 2022
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Maisha ya nchi nyingine magumu sana!!!!!Hii sijui imekaaje?
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Iran has handed jail sentences for over 10 years to a couple who danced in a viral video, convicting them of 'encouraging corruption and public prostitution'.
The couple were arrested after dancing in front of the Azadi Tower in Tehran [Getty]
An Iranian court has handed jail sentences of over 10 years each to a young couple who danced in front of one of Tehran's main landmarks in a video seen as a symbol of defiance against the regime, activists said on Tuesday.
Astiyazh Haghighi and her fiance Amir Mohammad Ahmadi, both in their early 20s, had been arrested in early November after a video went viral of them dancing romantically in front of the Azadi Tower in Tehran.
Haghighi did not wear a headscarf in defiance of the Islamic republic's strict rules for women, while women are also not allowed to dance in public in Iran, let alone with a man.
A revolutionary court in Tehran sentenced them each to 10 years and six months in prison, as well as bans on using the Internet and leaving Iran, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said.
The couple, who already had a following in Tehran as popular Instagram bloggers, were convicted of "encouraging corruption and public prostitution" as well as "gathering with the intention of disrupting national security", it added.
HRANA cited sources close to their families as saying they had been deprived of lawyers during the court proceedings while attempts to secure their release on bail have been rejected.
It said Haghighi is now in the notorious Qarchak prison for women outside Tehran, whose conditions are regularly condemned by activists.
Iranian authorities have clamped down severely on all forms of dissent since the death in September of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly violating the headscarf rules, sparked protests that have turned into a movement against the regime.
At least 14,000 people have been arrested, according to the United Nations, ranging from prominent celebrities, journalists and lawyers to ordinary people who took to the streets.
The couple's video had been hailed as a symbol of the freedoms demanded by the protest movement, with Ahmadi at one moment lifting his partner in the air as her long hair flowed behind.
One of the main icons of the Iranian capital, the gigantic and futuristic Azadi (Freedom) Tower is a place of huge sensitivity.
It opened under the rule of the last shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in the early 1970s when it was known as the Shahyad (In Memory of the Shah) Tower.
It was renamed after the shah was ousted in 1979 with the creation of the Islamic republic. Its architect, a member of the Bahai faith which is not recognised in today's Iran, now lives in exile.
Iraq's top court postpones hearing on legality of Iraqi Kurdistan's parliament extension
The plaintiffs argue that the extensions are contrary to articles of the Iraqi constitution.
The speaker of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region's parliament, Rewaz Fayaq. [Getty]
Iraq's Federal Supreme Court today adjourned until next week its hearing on the "constitutionality" of extending the Iraqi Kurdistan region's parliament, government and presidency to December, as representatives of the defendants did not attend the session.
The Kurdistan parliament of the semi-autonomous region of northern Iraq unanimously passed Law 12 of 2022 on 9 October, which extends the mandates of the parliament, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Kurdistan region's presidency until late 2023.
The former speaker of the Iraqi Kurdistan region parliament, Yousuf Mohammed Sadiq, the president of the New Generation Movement (NGM) opposition party Shaswar Abulwahid, NGM's lawmaker in the Iraqi parliament Sirwa Abdulwahid and NGM's MP in the Kurdish assembly Kawa Abdulqadir have raised separate legal cases against the speaker of the Kurdistan region's parliament, Rewaz Fayaq, and the president of Kurdistan region Nechirvan Barzani.
The plaintiffs argue that the extensions are contrary to articles of the Iraqi constitution, the principles of democracy and holding fair elections every four years according to the region's election law.
"The hearing has been postponed until 7 February because the representatives of the defendant, the speaker of the Kurdistan region's parliament in addition to her position, did not attend the hearing due to bad weather conditions, and for the purpose that the court to complete its reviews of the case," the court said in a statement on Tuesday.
The two ruling Kurdish parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), backed by several lawmakers from the ruling Change Movement, the minorities and other smaller parties extended the Kurdish parliament's term after a general election scheduled for 1 October was postponed. The delay was due to disagreements among the region's major political parties on vital issues such as amendments to the election law, appointments for the region's electoral commission and how minorities are represented.
Sirwa Abdulwahid said in a tweet that the court's next hearing will be via a "public session" without clarifying further. The New Arab contacted both Sirwa Abdulwahid and Sadiq, but they were not immediately available to comment. TNA also contacted the media department of the Kurdistan parliament, but calls were not answered.
"The three legislature, executive and presidential authorities in the Kurdistan region have lost legitimacy from 6 November, since their terms have expired. Thus, extending their mandates are illegitimate and contrary to the principles of democracy, articles of the Iraqi constitution that the people of Kurdistan have also voted for it," Sadiq previously told TNA last November.
The Kurdistan region held its last general elections in September 2018. The election witnessed a low turnout of 57% and was marred by alleged widespread voter fraud by KDP and PUK. After the elections, the parliament voted to trust the KRG ninth cabinet headed by PM Masrour Barzani from the KDP and then elected Nechirvan Barzani, also from the KDP, as the region's president.
The White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, Brett McGurk, recently visited the region and reportedly urged the Kurdish authorities to deal with their internal issues and quickly hold fresh general elections.
The Kurdistan Parliament and the three ruling parties previously claimed that they wanted to use the extension to discuss a draft for a long-sought constitution for the region.
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Iran jails couple for 10 years over viral dancing video: activists
Iran has handed jail sentences for over 10 years to a couple who danced in a viral video, convicting them of 'encouraging corruption and public prostitution'.
An Iranian court has handed jail sentences of over 10 years each to a young couple who danced in front of one of Tehran's main landmarks in a video seen as a symbol of defiance against the regime, activists said on Tuesday.
Astiyazh Haghighi and her fiance Amir Mohammad Ahmadi, both in their early 20s, had been arrested in early November after a video went viral of them dancing romantically in front of the Azadi Tower in Tehran.
Haghighi did not wear a headscarf in defiance of the Islamic republic's strict rules for women, while women are also not allowed to dance in public in Iran, let alone with a man.
A revolutionary court in Tehran sentenced them each to 10 years and six months in prison, as well as bans on using the Internet and leaving Iran, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said.
The couple, who already had a following in Tehran as popular Instagram bloggers, were convicted of "encouraging corruption and public prostitution" as well as "gathering with the intention of disrupting national security", it added.
HRANA cited sources close to their families as saying they had been deprived of lawyers during the court proceedings while attempts to secure their release on bail have been rejected.
It said Haghighi is now in the notorious Qarchak prison for women outside Tehran, whose conditions are regularly condemned by activists.
Iranian authorities have clamped down severely on all forms of dissent since the death in September of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly violating the headscarf rules, sparked protests that have turned into a movement against the regime.
At least 14,000 people have been arrested, according to the United Nations, ranging from prominent celebrities, journalists and lawyers to ordinary people who took to the streets.
The couple's video had been hailed as a symbol of the freedoms demanded by the protest movement, with Ahmadi at one moment lifting his partner in the air as her long hair flowed behind.
One of the main icons of the Iranian capital, the gigantic and futuristic Azadi (Freedom) Tower is a place of huge sensitivity.
It opened under the rule of the last shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in the early 1970s when it was known as the Shahyad (In Memory of the Shah) Tower.
It was renamed after the shah was ousted in 1979 with the creation of the Islamic republic. Its architect, a member of the Bahai faith which is not recognised in today's Iran, now lives in exile.
Iraq's top court postpones hearing on legality of Iraqi Kurdistan's parliament extension
The plaintiffs argue that the extensions are contrary to articles of the Iraqi constitution.
The speaker of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region's parliament, Rewaz Fayaq. [Getty]
The Kurdistan parliament of the semi-autonomous region of northern Iraq unanimously passed Law 12 of 2022 on 9 October, which extends the mandates of the parliament, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Kurdistan region's presidency until late 2023.
The former speaker of the Iraqi Kurdistan region parliament, Yousuf Mohammed Sadiq, the president of the New Generation Movement (NGM) opposition party Shaswar Abulwahid, NGM's lawmaker in the Iraqi parliament Sirwa Abdulwahid and NGM's MP in the Kurdish assembly Kawa Abdulqadir have raised separate legal cases against the speaker of the Kurdistan region's parliament, Rewaz Fayaq, and the president of Kurdistan region Nechirvan Barzani.
The plaintiffs argue that the extensions are contrary to articles of the Iraqi constitution, the principles of democracy and holding fair elections every four years according to the region's election law.
"The hearing has been postponed until 7 February because the representatives of the defendant, the speaker of the Kurdistan region's parliament in addition to her position, did not attend the hearing due to bad weather conditions, and for the purpose that the court to complete its reviews of the case," the court said in a statement on Tuesday.
The two ruling Kurdish parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), backed by several lawmakers from the ruling Change Movement, the minorities and other smaller parties extended the Kurdish parliament's term after a general election scheduled for 1 October was postponed. The delay was due to disagreements among the region's major political parties on vital issues such as amendments to the election law, appointments for the region's electoral commission and how minorities are represented.
Sirwa Abdulwahid said in a tweet that the court's next hearing will be via a "public session" without clarifying further. The New Arab contacted both Sirwa Abdulwahid and Sadiq, but they were not immediately available to comment. TNA also contacted the media department of the Kurdistan parliament, but calls were not answered.
"The three legislature, executive and presidential authorities in the Kurdistan region have lost legitimacy from 6 November, since their terms have expired. Thus, extending their mandates are illegitimate and contrary to the principles of democracy, articles of the Iraqi constitution that the people of Kurdistan have also voted for it," Sadiq previously told TNA last November.
The Kurdistan region held its last general elections in September 2018. The election witnessed a low turnout of 57% and was marred by alleged widespread voter fraud by KDP and PUK. After the elections, the parliament voted to trust the KRG ninth cabinet headed by PM Masrour Barzani from the KDP and then elected Nechirvan Barzani, also from the KDP, as the region's president.
The White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, Brett McGurk, recently visited the region and reportedly urged the Kurdish authorities to deal with their internal issues and quickly hold fresh general elections.
The Kurdistan Parliament and the three ruling parties previously claimed that they wanted to use the extension to discuss a draft for a long-sought constitution for the region.
