On Instagram, Selena Gomez praised the teenagers detained by Iranian authorities earlier this month for performing a TikTok dance to one of her tracks, calling them “courageous.”
Gomez wrote in an Instagram story that her heart went out to “these young women and all the courageous Iranian women who continue to demand fundamental changes.”
“Know that your courage is inspiring,” she added.
On March 8, International Women’s Day, the five girls recorded a video of themselves swaying to “Calm Down” by Selena Gomez and Rema in front of a tower block in a Tehran suburb.
In the video, which was extensively shared on social media, they are dancing in public while wearing crop tops and without covering their heads, which is prohibited by Iranian law.
According to la Repubblica, the Iranian authorities detained the adolescents for approximately 48 hours after the video was posted.
The newspaper also reported that they were compelled to return to the same location where they filmed their first repentance video in order to film a second one, this time with their heads covered.
The news of their arrest prompted other Iranian women to imitate their dance.
It also followed large-scale protests in Iran last year in response to the suspicious death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, who was detained for allegedly violating the mandatory hijab law of the country.
Following Amini’s death, women protested Iran’s theocratic and authoritarian regime by burning their hijabs in the streets or removing their headscarves.
A message of support from Gomez accompanied a post by the non-profit organization Global Citizen.
Gomez’s Instagram message alerted a number of commenters to the news of the Iranian teen’s detention, as evidenced by a number of comments beneath the post.
One user stated, “Selena Gomez’s story brought us here.”
“Thank you for your post about Selena. These ladies don’t deserve this,” said someone else.
Last week, Rema, who collaborated with Gomez on “Calm Down,” tweeted his admiration for the adolescents.
He wrote, “I am inspired by all the beautiful women striving for a better world, I sing for you, and I dream with you.”