Iranian-born actress strips semi-naked in protest against country's morality police

People across the world have come out in support of women in Iran as they continue their protests against the country's morality police. The latest to join them is Iranian-born Indian actress Elnaaz Norouzi.

The actress registered her protest by stripping semi-naked in a video posted on Instagram. The 30-year-old actress starts by taking off her hijab, followed by her burqa and most of the rest of her clothes.

"Every Woman, anywhere in the world, regardless of where she is from, should have the right to wear whatever she desires and when or wherever she desires to wear it. No man nor any other woman has the right to judge her or ask her to dress otherwise," she wrote in the post.

"Everyone has different views and beliefs and they have to be respected," she added. "Democracy means the power to decide.

Norouzi later clarified that she does not intend to promote nudity and that it is her way of saying every woman has "freedom of choice!"

According to India Times, Norouzi was once also detained by Iran's morality police when she was out and about in Tehran. She was taken to a re-education centre where she was given a warning before being allowed to leave.

"They made me write my name and take pictures from all the angles in the clothes that you had on. Then they tell you, 'if we catch you again with the wrong type of clothing, it won't be this easy.'"

Thousands of men and women have taken to the streets in Iran over 22-year-old Mahsa Amini's death.

Amini was on a visit to Tehran when she was detained by Iran's morality police. She was detained for allegedly breaking hijab rules and later died in police custody.

Her death sparked protests all across Iran, with women at the helm of these demonstrations. Women have been burning their headscarves in the streets of Iran as a mark of protest against the country's regressive laws.