An Iranian news agency has targeted Britney Spears for speaking out for Iranian women’s rights.
Spears wrote on Twitter on Sunday (October 16) that she and her husband stand by the people of Iran who are fighting for their freedom. Sam Asghari, Iranian actor and Britney Spears’ husband, also shared her post Instagram. Her tweet received 27,000 retweets – and the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) also responded with a response for the singer. The IRNA is apparently trying to portray the 40-year-old as unsound:
“American singer Britney Spears was placed under her father’s guardianship in 2008 due to her mental health issues. They gave Britney’s father control of her finances and even allowed him to control intimate aspects such as her pregnancy, marriage and visiting her teenage son,” IRNA wrote in a tweet on Tuesday (October 18).
American singers @BritneySpears was placed under her father’s conservatorship in 2008 due to her mental health problems. That gave Britney’s father control over her finances and even her personal life aspects such as pregnancy, remarriage and visits to her teenage sons.#MahsaAmini pic.twitter.com/mmimVJwS4Z
— IRNA News Agency (@IrnaEnglish) October 18, 2022
The Iranian news agency did not tag the singer in the reply, but included a screenshot of the original message, which also includes a Twitter user’s comment. “Good speech. Can you now manage your own money?” he writes.
Background to the current protests in Iran
Masha Amini, also known by her Kurdish name as Zhina Amina, was arrested on September 13 for allegedly wearing her hijab in violation of the law. She was rushed to a hospital a few hours after her arrest and was pronounced dead on September 16, 2022. While most suspect police brutality, police say the 22-year-old died of a stroke and heart attack. A CT scan is said to have diagnosed a broken bone in the head. Since then there have been protests against the Iranian government and the so-called vice police. According to the organization “Iran Human Rights” at least 215 people, including 27 children, are said to have been murdered.
