
Iranian regime formed a 'secret' committee last year to keep an eye on celebrities in the country who supported protests that erupted after Mahsa Amini death, reported BBC. Citing leaked documents, BBC said that in a letter dated September 22 last year, the committee sent a list of 141 well-known figures to economy ministry and asked them to invesigate their tax returns. This indicates that the government had begun co-ordinated action against the popular protests just days after they started.
Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian, was detained by Iran's Morality Police over her 'inappropriate' behaviour. Amini's custodial death had sparked huge protests across the Islamic republic that lasted for months. In the crackdown that followed the protests, hundreads of protesters lost their lives.
BBC said that its Persian news service obtained the documents from a Middle Eastern intelligence source.
The people on the Iranian regime's radar reportedly include sporting legend Ali Daei and top actress Taraneh Alidoosti.
Iran government's response to anti-Hijab protests has been negative. Local media reported on Tuesday that two prominent actresses had been charged for flouting the dress code.
Police in Tehran have referred the case against Katayoun Riahi and Pantea Bahram to Iran's judiciary, accusing them of "the crime of removing the hijab in public and posting photos on the internet", the Tasnim news agency said late Monday.
If prosecuted, the pair could face fines or prison terms.
Earlier this month police said they would begin using "smart" technology in public places to crack down on women defying Iran's compulsory dress code.
Last week, photos of Bahram, 53, went viral after she posed without a headscarf at a film screening, while Riahi, 61, posted several photos taken in public places around Tehran in which she did not wear a headscarf.
(With inputs from agencies)
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