Family fears for life of rapper they say was violently arrested after encouraging Iranians to protest - CNN

CNN  — 

“Someone’s transgression was that her hairsbreadth was flowing successful the wind. Someone’s transgression was that helium oregon she was brave and were outspoken.”

These lyrics could outgo Iranian rap creator Toomaj Salehi his life. In immoderate different state helium could person easy rapped astir the day-to-day problems facing his countrymen without consequence.

But due to the fact that helium lives successful Iran, Salehi’s destiny is rather different.

The 32-year-old underground dissident rapper was violently arrested past Saturday on with 2 of his friends, his uncle said, and present faces accusations of crimes that are punishable by death, according to Iranian authorities media.

As galore arsenic 14,000 radical successful Iran person been arrested including journalists, activists, lawyers and educators during protests that person rocked the state since September, according to a apical United Nations official.

The unrest was sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian pistillate who died connected September 16 aft being detained by “morality police” and taken to a “re-education center,” allegedly for not wearing her hijab properly.

“I woke up astatine 2 o’clock successful the greeting with a telephone telephone from Toomaj’s person saying ‘our whereabouts person been leaked,’” Salehi’s uncle Eghbal Eghbali told CNN successful an interview. “Since past we person been disquieted astir what has happened to Toomaj.”

Eghbali says helium recovered retired done Salehi’s friends aboriginal that greeting that astir 50 radical raided his nephew’s residence successful Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, successful southwestern Iran.

The rapper is accused of “propagandistic enactment against the government, practice with hostile governments and forming amerciable groups with the volition of creating insecurity successful the country,” state-run IRNA said, quoting the Esfahan state judiciary.

Salehi’s uncle said his nephew is presently detained successful a situation successful the metropolis of Isfahan, and that helium has accusation helium was tortured. Salehi is simply a nonmigratory of Shahin Shahr, astir 20km northbound of Isfahan.

“We inactive bash not cognize thing astir Toomaj’s wellness condition. The household has tried precise hard to adjacent conscionable perceive his voice, but nary 1 has fixed america immoderate accusation astir Toomaj,” helium said. “We don’t adjacent cognize if Toomaj and his friends are live oregon not.”

Salehi’s friends who were arrested with him implicit the weekend, boxing champion Mohammad Reza Nikraftar and kickboxer Najaf Abu Ali, besides haven’t been heard from since, Eghbali said.

“The accused played a cardinal relation successful creating, inviting and encouraging riots successful Isfahan state and successful the metropolis of Shahin Shahr,” a spokesperson for Isfahan Province Judiciary, Seyyed Mohammad Mousavian said according to IRNA.

After his arrest, a abbreviated video clip of what appears to beryllium Salehi blindfolded emerged connected state-backed quality agency, the Young Journalists Club (YJC). Salehi appears to beryllium nether duress voicing remorse for remarks helium made connected societal media.

Salehi’s uncle was adamant that the antheral successful the video was not his nephew, adding that the authorities had governmental objectives successful releasing the abbreviated clip. Eghbali besides rejects the government’s assertion that his nephew was moving distant astatine the clip of his arrest.

“Absolutely not,” Eghbali said. “Because wherever Toomaj was surviving oregon wherever we are successful Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, fundamentally we person nary mode to the border. This is simply a precise crackbrained claim. Anyone who knows the geography of Iran volition not judge specified claim.”

Since the opening of the nationwide protests which started successful mid-September, Salehi, who IRNA said was besides detained successful September 2021, has been calling for Iranians to protestation against the government.

“None of america person antithetic colour blood,” Salehi posted connected Instagram. “Don’t hide our astonishing national and bash not let them to make part betwixt us, successful this bloody and bittersweet heaven.”

Salehi, who himself is of Bakhtiari taste background, has agelong rapped astir Iran’s multi-ethnic makeup, encouraging unity among Iranians of antithetic taste backgrounds.

“Stand with us, we stood by you for years,” Salehi raps successful his opus “Meydoone jang” which translates arsenic “The Battlefield.”

“It’s not capable to beryllium rebellious, we person revolutionary roots. Arab, Assyrian, Armenian, Turkmen, Mazandari, Sistani, Baluch, Talysh, Tatar, Azeri, Kurd, Gilaki, Lor, Farsi and Qashqai, we are the unity of rivers: we are the sea.”

Days earlier his arrest, Salehi posted videos of himself alongside protesters connected the thoroughfare connected Instagram. Since then, his fans, Iranians successful the diaspora, arsenic good arsenic musicians and activists, person called for his release.

“A batch of rappers person travel retired and supported him,” Iranian rapper, songwriter and activistic Erfan Paydar told CNN. “Toomaj’s bravery of protesting successful the streets encouraged others to get retired determination and talk up and made radical deliberation ‘if he’s consenting to spell retired determination and he’s not scared, past possibly we shouldn’t be.’”

Paydar said that Salehi precocious shared a connection with his trusted friends which was to beryllium released successful the lawsuit helium was arrested. “You volition spell guardant according to my operation. You are my astir trusted person,” the connection reads.

“The precedence is with the students and workers, you volition screen each calls for protests, you volition not enactment immoderate enactment oregon group, bash not constitute overmuch astir the prisoners unless their information worsens and they person nary voice. Concentrate connected onslaught not defense.”

Security forces person arrested respective musicians and artists including 2 different rappers who were progressive successful protests – Emad Ghavidel from Rasht and Kurdish rapper Saman Yasin from Kermanshah.

Ghavidel was released connected enslaved and described successful an Instagram station however helium was tortured and had his teeth smashed. Yasin was subjected to terrible intelligence and carnal torture during his clip successful custody, according to Norway-based Kurdish quality rights radical Hengaw, and charged with a transgression that tin transportation a decease condemnation successful a sham trial.

“Toomaj’s parent was a governmental prisoner,” Salehi’s uncle who lives successful Germany told CNN. “She has passed distant a agelong clip ago…if my sister was inactive alive, she would go Toomaj’s voice. The aforesaid arsenic I americium Toomaj’s voice. The aforesaid arsenic galore who are connected the streets [in Iran] are the dependable of Toomaj.”

Since the decease of Mahsa Amini successful custody, protesters crossed Iran person coalesced astir a scope of grievances with the regime. Meanwhile, Iranian authorities person been stepping up efforts to extremity the uprising. Around 1,000 radical person been charged successful the Tehran state for their alleged engagement successful the protests, authorities quality bureau IRNA reported past week.

The trials of those accused volition beryllium heard successful nationalist implicit the coming days, IRNA said, citing Ali Al-Qasi Mehr, main justness of Tehran province.

Iranian media said past play that the trials for respective demonstrators had started the erstwhile week.