Sources report that seven to eight young Iranians have been arrested in Tehran, for the simple crime of being "Happy." Three men and three women danced unveiled to Pharrell Williams' smash hit in a video that was widely shared on social media, garnering over 30,000 views before it was taken down. Copies have been quickly re-uploaded as news of the arrest has broken, sparking the hashtag #FreeHappyIranians.

At first blush, the biography of Iranian actress Pegah Ahangarani could read very much like my own. Ahangarani is a working actress who supports social causes in her time away from set. The difference? In October, Ahangarani was sentenced to 18 months in prison for her peaceful activism.