Javad Heydarian, a Tehran-based Iranian journalist has been summoned and charged by prosecutors in Iran after he published images showing women dancing and not wearing the hijab.

“The Prosecutor’s Office of Moral Crimes of Tehran province has sent a notification and accused me of spreading prostitution through the publication of images of dancing and uncovering the hijab at the cultural festival of LidoMa,” Mr Heydarian revealed on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday.

The pictures published by Mr Heydarian were taken at the LidoMa Festival of Iran’s Lur people, held at the conference hall of Milad Tower, the tallest tower in Iran. The festival is a yearly event celebrated by the Lur people and takes place every August.

“Amid the celebration, Lur people and fellow compatriots gathered at Milad Tower’s hall. Notably, many women were without hijabs, and as they danced, the hall’s power was unexpectedly cut off,” Mr Heydarian further explained on X.

“From today, I have five days to go to Dadasara with proper bail and a valid national card,” the journalist added.

Iran has a bad reputation for its brutal repression of journalists.

The West Asian country has taken a hard stance on women without hijabs and any individual or group promoting such acts since the aftermath of the wave of protests that rocked the country earlier this year following the death of a 22-year-old woman in police custody.