A hip-hop dancer has been seized by security police in Iran after performing a protest dance in a main square in the country’s capital.

Independent media have received reports that dancer Morteza Qadri was arrested by officials in the Islamic Republic.

He was reportedly detained over this video showing him performing a hip-hop dance routine in front of Azadi Tower in Tehran’s Azadi Square.

The back of his T-shirt is emblazoned with lyrics in English saying “For dancing in the allies and the streets” in the green, white, and red colours of the Iranian flag.

The line is from the Farsi-language song ‘Baraye’ by Shervin Hajipour, which was inspired by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini and its aftermath.

The song was first released on 28th September on Hajipour’s Instagram page but was removed in less than 48 hours following his arrest on 29th September.

The 25-year-old was eventually released on bail on 4th October.

In Morteza’s routine, he mimics cutting his hair, which has become a symbolic gesture against Iran’s clerical regime.

He also mimics being hanged, in protest against executions in the Islamic Republic.

In the background, a hip-hop song by Iranian rapper Hichkas, 37, can be heard playing.

Hichkas – real name Soroush Lashkari – is often described as a “dissident”, and has criticised Iran’s ruling clerics in his songs.

Independent media first reported on Morteza’s arrest on Sunday, 11th December.

Protests in Iran broke out on 16th September following the death of Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini, who was beaten by morality police for wearing her hijab “improperly”.

The demonstrations have seen at least 458 people killed and 11 officially sentenced to death, according to independent estimates.

More than 18,200 people are believed by human rights groups to have been detained by authorities in the Islamic Republic over the ongoing protests.