Selena Gomez raises awareness for 5 Iranian girls detained for dancing

Selena Gomez is reminding fans to think of the women of Iran who are fighting for their rights and freedom.

The singer took to her Instagram Story to share a clip from Global Citizen, which shows five Iranian girls dancing to the song "Calm Down" by Afrobeats artist Rema. Selena is featured on a popular remix of the song.

The girls are wearing their hair down, which is illegal in Iran, and pants and crop tops. The group was detained by authorities and forced to apologize after releasing the video of them dancing to Rema's song. Global Citizen says the girls were "forced ... to return to the same spot where the video was recorded to issue an apology with their heads covered – which was also recorded.⁠"

Selena commented in her Story, "[love] to these young women and all the women of Iran who continue to be courageous demanding fundamental change. Please know your strength is inspiring."

She also included a link to Global Citizen's page explaining why Iran is in a state of extreme turmoil.

The nation became embroiled in protests after the September death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was apprehended by Iran's morality police for wearing the hijab incorrectly. Her family says she was beaten to death.

Since then, a growing number of voices have called for the end of the current regime, the Islamic Republic of Iran, which came into power in 1979.

Human rights activists in Iran have since claimed over 19,700 protestors have been arrested and 530 people have been killed.

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