Saman Yasin, an Iranian Kurdish rapper, faces the death penalty after the formalization of the accusation of having “declared war on god” for his social support for the protests for the death of Mahsa Amini. The Guardian reports it. The young man, 27, was taken from his home by security forces three weeks ago. His fate is now entrusted to an Iranian court, in a decision expected “in the next few days”. More than 14 thousand people have been arrested – including women and children – during the repression of demonstrations, the UN estimates. Meanwhile, the family of Toomaj Salehi, the other rapper arrested for his support of the protests, denounces the “torture” suffered by the 32-year-old in the Isfahan prison where he has been imprisoned since September 30th.
Iran, alarm over the arrest of the anti-regime rapper: “He is in Evin prison and risks his life”
His fate, which will be decided in the coming days by Iranian courts, could be shared by thousands of other young detained protesters, as human rights organizations warn that the regime could unleash a bloody campaign of revenge in an attempt to quell the continuing protests. . The country’s institutions have all chosen the hard line up to now, and it cannot be excluded that they choose to sacrifice other lives to put out the revolt. What started out as a protest demanding only a few more rights and freedoms for women has turned into a struggle against the symbols of oppression and power. The stakes have become very high, even for Raisi and Khamenei.
According to the United Nations, it is estimated that at least 14,000 people, including children, have been arrested and jailed by the regime since the beginning of the protests, now over two months ago. Very little is known about their condition because entering Iranian prisons is easy. Getting out of it is the tricky part.
Javaid Rehman, special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran, said: “Thousands of men, women and children have been arrested in the last six weeks, including human rights defenders, students, lawyers, journalists and civil society activists” .
Rehman continued: “In another very disturbing development, the Iranian authorities announced earlier this week that they will hold public trials for over a thousand people arrested in Tehran and a similar number outside the capital … The charges against these people will include charges … which carry the death penalty. In the absence of internal channels of accountability, I would like to underline the importance of the role and responsibility of the international community in addressing impunity for human rights violations in Iran ”.
On November 6, 227 Iranian lawmakers urged the judiciary to “address firmly the perpetrators of these crimes and all those who witnessed the crimes and provoked the rioters,” which human rights activists fear will lead to a wave of executions and life sentences imposed by the courts in the coming weeks. The authorities have announced their intention to hold trials for 1,000 protesters detained in Tehran.
The repression in Iran does not stop, 227 parliamentarians are calling for the death penalty for protesters
Nicolò Guelfi
The Hengaw Human Rights Organization said high-profile prisoners like Yasin could be used by the Iranian regime to attempt to terrorize those who continue to protest. Basically: punish one to educate a hundred.
Yasin, a well-known and acclaimed artist and rapper, was a critic of the regime. He wrote messages of support to the protesters on his social media channels and wrote several protest songs. “We know that the government easily kills people and directly sentences prisoners to death,” said Hengaw’s Soma Rostami. “Saman Yasin is in grave danger and we should be his voice.”
Other human rights organizations say authorities attempted to silence Yasin’s family, who have not heard from him since he was accused of moharabeh (enmity against God) earlier this week. The death sentence hanging over Yasin comes amid reports of torture suffered by him and other protesters while in detention.
Family members of Toomaj Salehi, a 32-year-old musician and rapper, also in prison after being arrested on September 30 along with two friends, claim that he was subjected to “severe torture” by the regime for publishing songs to support for demonstrators and for posting photos of him chanting slogans against the security forces in Isfahan.
The popular artist’s arrest has led to online petitions calling for his release, and his supporters have widely shared the #FreeToomaj hashtag.
“When we learned of his arrest, we were shocked but not defeated. We are currently trying to do what we can to carry out what he stood for and urge the leaders of the international community to hold the Islamic Republic responsible for its crimes against humanity, to release Toomaj and all Iranian people who are imprisoned and tortured. every day, just because they seek freedom, ”said one of Salehi’s friends, whose name is not mentioned for security reasons.
“We know they want to traumatize us even more and instill fear in us. What matters is that the brutal regime of the Islamic Republic is arresting innocent civilians and critics and is violating its own laws, ”she said.
“Even if lawyers go to the courts on behalf of their families, they too risk being arrested. We have no information about his health, what he was accused of or his health conditions, and we are seriously worried about his life. “
Last week, two journalists who helped spread the news of Mahsa Amini’s death were denounced by the Iranian authorities as spies for the CIA, a charge that carries the death penalty.