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Iranian Pharrell Williams fans behind Happy video sentenced Iranian Pharrell Williams fans behind Happy video sentenced
(about 1 hour later)
Seven Iranians featured dancing to Pharrell Williams's hit song Happy in a video that went viral on the internet have been given suspended sentences of jail time and lashes. A group of Pharrell Williams fans who were arrested for filming themselves dancing to the Pharrell Williams song Happy on the rooftops of Tehran have received suspended sentences of imprisonment and lashes.
The clip, recorded on a smartphone and uploaded multiple times on YouTube, shows three unveiled girls dancing and singing to the song in a room, on rooftops and in alleys with three young men. According to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran (ICHRI), a New-York based non-profit organisation, an Iranian court sentenced six of those involved – including the director, Sassan Soleimani – to six months in prison and 91 lashes. A seventh participant, Reyhaneh Taravati, received an additional six months on her prison sentence for possession of alcohol and her role in distributing the video.
For the defendants, the homemade video was merely an "excuse to be happy", but for the authorities it was "vulgar" breach of the Islamic republic's values. The video has had more than 1m views. The group were arrested in May after the clip, Happy in Tehran, drew thousands of online viewers. A Tehran court found them guilty of producing a "vulgar" video and conducting "illicit relations".
The seven were arrested in May and released on bail after appearing on state television and expressing remorse for appearing in the clip. The group – Soleimani, Taravati, Neda Motameni, Afshin Sohrabi, Bardia Moradi, Roham Shamekhi, and another identified only by the first name Sepideh – will serve their sentences only if they are found guilty of another crime in the next three years.
Their arrest triggered international fury and criticism in the media and online, with many Iranians expressing shock and some observers questioning whether it was a crime to be happy in Iran. Soon after the seven were arrested they appeared on Iranian TV confessing to their crimes. Rights activists have long objected to this practice and consider such confessions to be made under duress and obtained for political purposes.
During their trial, the men were found guilty of the illegal distribution of a film and illicit relations, their lawyer Farshid Rofougaran said. Tehran's police chief condemned the group's actions at the time and described the video as "obnoxious", but Iran's president defended the seven on Twitter. "Happiness is our people's right. We shouldn't be too hard on behaviours caused by joy," Hassan Rouhani's account tweeted.
One female dancer was sentenced to a year in prison and 91 lashes for posting the footage online, while the five other dancers and the clip's director were sentenced to six-months and 91 lashes. All of the sentences were suspended for three years. The charges against the group, the ICHRI said, were based on information obtained from material confiscated during the raid on the individuals' homes, such as personal photographs and videos found on their personal computers.
Rofougaran said he did not know whether his clients wished to appeal against the sentence. After triggering an international outcry – including a tweet by the original Happy singer – all of those involved were granted bail, except the director, who was held until the end of May.
Human rights groups denounced the ruling. "With these sentences, the absurd meets the unjust," Amnesty International said. If confirmed, the sentences "would be a ludicrous outcome; these individuals will have been convicted and branded criminals purely for making a music video celebrating happiness", it added. "This is unfair; imprisonment and lashes for what?" tweeted one Iranian. "Don't be happy in Iran, otherwise you'll be seen as having illicit relations," said another.
The arrest of the seven had been denounced on social media, access to which the authorities in Iran try to block.
In May, President Hassan Rouhani, said in a statement on a Twitter account associated with his office: "Happiness is our people's right. We shouldn't be too hard on behaviours caused by joy."