The video shows Iranian people dancing to Pharrell's single in and around Tehran
A group of Iranians who were arrested
for filming a video tribute to Pharrell Williams' song 'Happy' have been released
on bail, reports from Tehran suggest. One of the fans, fashion photographer Reihane Taravati, posted a photo on Instagram, saying: "Hi, I'm
back." She and her colleagues were arrested on Tuesday. Police said their "vulgar
clip" had "hurt public chastity". The video showed three men and
three unveiled women dancing on the streets and rooftops of Tehran.
Williams, whose song was nominated for an Oscar earlier this year, protested at the arrests.
"It is beyond sad that these kids were arrested for trying to spread happiness," the singer wrote on Facebook. Many Twitter users had used the hashtag #freehappyiranians to put pressure on the Iranian authorities to release the dancers.
One of the dancers updated her Instagram profile to
say she had been released
Announcing her release, Taravati wrote: "Hi I'm back. Thank you @pharrell and
everyone who cared about us... love you all so much and missed you so much."
The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran (ICHRI) reported that the
other dancers seen in the video had also been released."All people who made the Happy video were released today, except the director of the video," the organization tweeted.
The "Happy we are from Tehran" video, originally posted in March, has now been seen more than 40,000 times. At the end of the clip, the credits read: " The song 'Happy' was an excuse to be happy. We enjoyed every second of making it. Hope it puts a smile on your face."
According to some reports, a total of 13 people were arrested in connection with the video, but official sources have not confirmed the exact number of detainees. Iran's state-run TV broadcast a program on Tuesday, which apparently showed the men and women confessing on camera. A subtitled edition of the TV clip, posted on YouTube, identified the detainees as "actors" who claimed they were tricked into making the Happy video for an audition.
"They told me they are making a feature film and they had a permit for it," said one man in the video. "They said those things and they fooled me."
The participants were shown on state television
said they had been duped into taking part. Under Iran's interpretation of Islamic law, women must cover their hair and
wear loose-fitting clothing meant to preserve their modesty. Patrols of so-called "morality police" regularly enforce standards of Islamic
dress on Iran's streets. However, the rules are widely flouted.
The internet is also heavily filtered in Iran, with the authorities blocking
access to popular social networking sites. But Arash Sobhani, lead singer of the Iranian underground rock group Kiosk, said that attempts to suppress music and freedom of
expression were not working."They banned our music, broke our guitars, attacked our parties and stopped our concerts," he said. "But did we stop? No!"
The video has been watched more than 40,000
times
Williams performed the song at the Oscar ceremony in
March
Imagine being arrested for trying to spread a little happiness. We are so lucky to live in a democratic country. We don't appreciate it enough
Williams' song has inspired hundreds of tributes since it was released last
year on the soundtrack to hit animation Despicable Me 2.
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