Ejei Denies Maedeh Hejabi's Arrest

In response to the varied reactions from officials of the Islamic Republic regarding the broadcast of 'confessions' from several dancers on Iran's state television, the spokesperson for the judiciary defended the program, stating that it was produced by the police without informing the case judge and that Maedeh Hejabi 'was not detained even for one night.' Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, on Sunday, July 24, during his press conference, mentioned that the social deputy of the police had requested to make a documentary 'to prepare a clip of this individual,' but according to him, without informing the case judge or seeking help from the judiciary's media center, 'they themselves prepared and broadcast a clip.' This judicial official also called the claims of 'arrest or torture' of Ms. Hejabi false but stated, 'I also object to her not being detained.' The spokesperson for the judiciary also said that the broadcast of these 'confessions' was 'not problematic' since the names of the individuals were not mentioned and their images were not clear. Mohseni Ejei's statements come after Mohammad Hossein Ranjbaran, the director of public relations at IRIB, stated that a judicial order had been issued for several individuals whose images were blurred and voices were played in the program titled 'Bi Raheh,' and that a judicial authority had requested that the matter of these individuals be definitely publicized. In a program titled 'Bi Raheh,' aired on July 18 on the first channel of Iran's state television, at least three girls and one boy expressed regret over their activities on Instagram. In part of this program, the sound of one girl's crying is heard; this individual was identified on social media as Maedeh Hejabi, born in 2001. Human Rights Watch mentioned another person coerced into these 'confessions,' Elnaz Ghasemi, a resident of Canada, who was arrested during her trip to Iran. Ms. Ghasemi announced on her Instagram that these 'confessions' were recorded a month ago and that she, along with another girl named Shadab Shakib, spent three nights in detention, while Maedeh Hejabi was also detained for one night. The broadcast of this television program had widespread repercussions, and Ali Motahari, the deputy speaker of the parliament, deemed IRIB's action a 'crime.' Meanwhile, Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, the Minister of Communications, stated that the broadcast of this television program was 'to divert public opinion from those whose interests are threatened by currency market transparency.'