When is it a crime to be happy. Six Iranian Arrested for making a video and dancing to Pharrel’s “Happy” song.
Tehran Police Chief Hossein Sajedinia ordered the arrests of the three men and three women for helping make an "obscene video clip that offended the public morals and was released in cyberspace," the Iranian Students' News Agency reported Wednesday. Authorities forced the young people to repent on state TV.
However They have been freed, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said Wednesday, citing a source close to the families.
The director of the video was not released, the group said.
One of the six announced that she was freed. "Hi I'm back," Reihane Taravati wrote on her Instagram account, thanking Williams and "everyone who cared about us."
The fan video is one of many to the hit song that has sold millions of downloads worldwide.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani seemed to think differently. "#Happiness is our people's right. We shouldn't be too hard on behaviors caused by joy," a tweet on his account said. It seemed to be quoting one of his comments from June 2013.
Pharrell Williams denounced the arrests.
"It is beyond sad that these kids were arrested for trying to spread happiness," the Grammy Award winner said on his Facebook page.
Just like in the singer's original video, the Iranian fan version features a montage of men and women dancing to the song in a variety of settings.
Pharrell's not the only one unhappy about the arrests. The Twitter hashtag #FreeHappyIranians went viral
"Is happiness a crime? @Pharrell #freehappyiranians,"@MaedehHP tweeted.
Others poked fun at the fan video's message.
"They deserve it for lying:) How can any body be #happy in #Tehran or #Iran for that matter," @Alothman123 wrote.
The National Iranian American Council condemned Iranian authorities.
"There are forces within Iran's government who want to keep the Iranian people isolated from the world," the council said in a statement.
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