THE SQUIZ
Iranian police have arrested 2 award-winning actresses who participated in nationwide anti-government protests by appearing in public without their headscarves. Iran’s state-controlled media says Hengameh Ghaziani and Katayoun Riahi have been accused of collusion and acting against authorities. Just before the pair were arrested on Sunday, Ghaziani posted on social media saying “whatever happens, know that as always I will stand with the people of Iran”. The protests are in response to the death of 22yo Mahsa Amini following her arrest on 16 September in Tehran by the country’s ‘morality police’ for wearing her hijab too loosely. Police say she suffered a heart attack while in custody, but there are reports she was severely beaten and struck on the head.

WHO ELSE HAS JOINED THE PROTESTS?
Short answer: loads of people. The demonstrations against Iran’s regime and its strict dress code for women are in their 3rd month, and they are the biggest the country’s seen since the Islamic Revolution in the 1970s. Ghaziani and Riahi aren’t the only well-known public figures to join in… Last week, another popular actress Taraneh Alidoosti posted a photo of herself on social media without a headscarf and holding a card reading ‘Woman. Life. Freedom.’ – a catchcry for protestors. The captain of Iran’s national football team Ehsan Hajsafi also spoke out from the soccer World Cup in Qatar on Sunday, saying “we have to accept that the conditions in our country are not right and our people are not happy”. And Iran boxing federation head Hossein Soori has defected, saying he can’t support “a system that so easily sheds the blood of human beings”, referring to the regime’s violent crackdown on protestors.

WHAT ARE AUTHORITIES DOING?
Iran’s leaders have ordered crackdowns on the protests because they seem them as “riots” orchestrated by foreign enemies. Reports say the worst of it is in Kurdish regions of the country where the protests have been the most intense in solidarity with Amini, who was a Kurd. The Iran Government’s been condemned internationally for its brutal response, including being sanctioned by Europe. Human rights activists say about 410 people have been killed in the unrest so far, includes 58 children – and 16,800 protestors have been arrested. The first death sentence linked to the protests was issued in an Iranian court last week, but there’s reports at least 6 people will be executed by authorities. With neither protestors or the government backing down, analysts expect it to be a grim situation for a while longer.