The trial of the six Iranians who were arrested for filming a tribute video to American singer and songwriter Pharrell Williams' hit song 'Happy' has started.
If these Iranians are convicted of hurting public chastity the three young men and women could face prison and public floggings. They were arrested in May after the video, shot in Tehran, became a YouTube smash.
The credits to their video read that 'Happy was an excuse to be happy' and also stated that they enjoyed every second of making it and are hoping that it puts a smile on ones face, The Mirror reported.
But the friends were tracked down and jailed then released on bail.
The video shows the women unveiled and Islamic law stipulates women must cover themselves in public.
Police claimed that the vulgar clip had hurt public chastity and that they had confessed to their criminal acts. However, the arrests sparked worldwide condemnation.
More From This Section
Grammy winner Pharrell wrote on Facebook that it is beyond sad that these kids were arrested for trying to spread happiness.
Amnesty International UK's Champa Patel said that arresting people for dancing to a song called Happy marked a new level of dark irony even for the Iranian authorities.