Detention and Interrogation of Hediyeh Tehrani Following Animal Rights Protest

Reports from several news websites in Tehran indicate that Hediyeh Tehrani, a cinema actress, was "detained and interrogated" for several hours on Friday, April 1st, along with sixteen other participants in a gathering to support animal rights. Meanwhile, the website "International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran" reported, citing an "eyewitness", that participants in this gathering at Laleh Park in Tehran were subjected to "beatings". According to several cinema and news websites, Hediyeh Tehrani and a few others were arrested at 3 PM on Friday in Laleh Park and were released around 9 PM the same day. The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran also reported that after their arrest, these individuals were taken to the police station on Vezara Street, where they were "forced" to give their mobile phone passwords to the officers. According to this report, the mobile phones of the detainees have not yet been returned to them even after their release. The website also reported, citing an "eyewitness", that these animal rights activists initially intended to hold their gathering in Baharestan Square, but due to the "heavy presence of security forces", they were forced to hold the gathering in Laleh Park instead. According to this "eyewitness", the gathering was attended by about 70 people, and when participants gathered around the pond in Laleh Park to take pictures, plainclothes forces began to "beat and arrest" some of them. Officials from the police force and other security agencies in Iran have not yet responded to these reports. However, the Young Journalists Club website, affiliated with the Islamic Republic's broadcasting service, announced on Friday that "the police intended to disperse the attendees and no one was arrested". Hediyeh Tehrani, a star of Iranian cinema, had called on her followers on her Instagram page on April 1st to commemorate Nature Day by attending Baharestan Square on April 2nd. In this Instagram post, she wrote that the gathering would be held with the presence of "a group of artists, environmental activists, and Iranians supporting animal rights". This actress was also present at a gathering on Monday, February 21st, organized by protesters against violence towards animals in front of the Environmental Protection Organization. This protest followed the publication of a video showing the abuse of a dog in Golestan province. Subsequently, a group of Iranian cinema and television actors issued a statement protesting the rise of violence against animals in society and called for the enactment of laws to protect animals and for responsible institutions to work on cultural awareness in this area.