Hedieh Tehrani, actress and and animal rights activist

“We had wheat sprouts on dishes [according to the Persian New Year tradition] that were set on the ground and made wishes [another year-end custom] for animal rights to be respected in the new year,” a source told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. “When we gathered around the fountain to take a picture, the plain-clothed agents attacked and beat us. They threw some of the participants in an unmarked white van and took them away,” added the source. “They were freed at 9 o’clock in the evening.”