Seven People Arrested in Bushehr for Instagram Activities

Islamic Republic law enforcement officials in Bushehr have arrested seven women and teenage girls due to their activities on social media and content production on Instagram. According to Tasnim, a media outlet affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, on Sunday, October 14, the head of the Cyber Police in Bushehr stated that the Instagram accounts of these citizens have been blocked and they have been handed over to judicial authorities after their arrest. The identities of the arrested citizens have not been disclosed, and it is unclear where they are being held. The arrested individuals were reportedly publishing content and images related to group sports on Instagram. Mehdi Ghasemi, the head of Cyber Police in Bushehr, claimed that these seven women and girls were arrested for producing what he called 'immoral promotional content on Instagram.' According to this law enforcement official, the seven women and teenage girls were 'members of a group' that, 'imitating foreign examples,' produced a type of group sport that Ghasemi described as 'vulgar content' on the less frequented beaches of Bushehr and shared it on their Instagram pages. The Cyber Police, abbreviated as FATA, is a unit of the law enforcement agency responsible for monitoring citizens' activities on social media. Ghasemi labeled the content production related to group sports by these citizens as 'criminal' and 'immoral,' and announced that the electronic devices of these women and girls have also been confiscated. The attempt to impose the policies of the Islamic Republic on the personal and social lives of citizens and to interfere in their lifestyles has repeatedly caused trouble and even resulted in casualties. In recent months, Zara Esmaeili, a young female artist who sang in public places in Tehran and Karaj without mandatory hijab, was arrested by the law enforcement and judicial authorities of the Islamic Republic. Civil disobedience against restrictive laws on individual and social rights, including the mandatory hijab enforced by the Islamic Republic, continues despite increased government pressure.