Iranian court ‘jails young couple in viral dance video for 10 years’

Defiant pair convicted of ‘disrupting national security’

Stills from the video showing Astiyazh Haghighi and her fiance Amir Mohammad Ahmadi dancing in front of Tehran’s Azadi Tower (UGC/AFP via Getty Images)

A court in Iran has reportedly jailed a young couple for 10 years for dancing in front of a Tehran landmark in a video posted on social media.

The clip, which went viral, was seen as a symbol of defiance against the regime and came amid widespread protests against a crackdown by authorities in which hundreds if not thousands have been killed.

Astiyazh Haghighi and her fiance Amir Mohammad Ahmadi, both 21, had been arrested in November after the video, in which they danced in front of the Azadi Tower.