The 31-year-old was one of thousands of Iranians who took to the streets across the country to protest the death of a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman in so-called moral police custody. Mahsa (Jina) Amini was arrested on September 13 for allegedly wearing an inappropriate hijab and died three days later, sparking nationwide riots.
In a video shared on Instagram, Salehi called on fellow Iranians to support the uprising as much as possible, while fellow demonstrators shouted anti-government slogans.
He also channeled his anger in the way he knew best, using searing, uncompromising lyrics directed at the nation’s founding.
“We came from the bottom and reached the top of the pyramid,” Salehi’s latest track begins. He went on to describe the current upheaval as the Islamic Republic’s “year of colossal failure”.
He also rapped about the victims of Iran’s justice system, including one whose crime was hair “fluttering in the wind,” directly referring to protesters against the compulsory hijab.
Less than a week later, Salehi was arrested.There was little news at first for his friends and relatives: his family I am not allowed to meet himthe lawyer they appointed He says he was unable to see details of the incident.
News then broke on Sunday that Salehi had been accused of “global corruption”, according to Amnesty International – for at least five people sentenced to death in a Tehran court over protests, according to Amnesty International. was accused of
Iranian news outlets have released photos and a short video clip of the blindfolded rapper, saying he “made a mistake”.
The state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) said the chief justice of Isfahan province’s supreme court on Sunday said court proceedings had not yet begun, but Salehi was accused of other crimes, including propaganda against the Islamic Republic and collaborating with hostile forces. But it was reported that he said he had been charged. Government and incitement to violence.
Salehi quickly became a symbol of a two-month-long uproar, with an online petition demanding his release gathering more than 300,000 signatures as of Wednesday.
His official Twitter account is still active, According to Salehi’s wishadministrators based outside Iran continue to post content promoting the protests.
“Joy is a crime in Iran. Dancing is a crime in Iran,” Salehi said in an interview with Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. “In my opinion, a free Iran is a country in plain clothes. [policemen] You can’t kidnap you off the street and let the law protect you. A free Iran, in my opinion, is a country where regime agents do not have a license to commit rape. “
The rapper insisted he was just one of many protesters, but seemed well aware of the risks he faced.
“Every time I go to a protest, everyone fears that if I get arrested, some of the protesters will despair and get upset, because there is no need for grief now,” he said. said in a longer recording of the interview…on his official YouTube channel. “If the two people next to you are killed, don’t cry. Be angry and seek justice.”
But Salehi isn’t the only artist targeted by Iranian authorities since the protests began.
The song “Balayeh” quickly became synonymous with protests, enumerating decades of grievances among many ordinary Iranians. Its singer and creator Shavin Hajipour was arrested and later released on bail, but not before the song was deleted from his Instagram account.
Others face even harsher consequences: Kurdish singer and rapper Saman Yassin is being held in Evin Prison, infamous for being guilty of waging “Moharabeh,” or war against God. According to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network based in Kurdistan, he was “severely physically and mentally tortured” before confessing on television.
At least six protesters have been sentenced to death since the riots began, Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported. Although death sentences are sometimes commuted in Iran, the number of executions this year has reached his highest in five years, the United Nations said this week.
More than 450 people, including more than 60 children, have died in the 74 days since the protests began. According to HRANA. Germany’s foreign minister said last week that as many as 15,000 protesters had also been arrested. A United Nations human rights group has ordered an investigation into the crackdown on protesters.
“It is painful to see what is happening in this country,” said Volker Türk, the UN’s chief human rights officer. “Images of murdered children. Of women beaten in the streets. Of those sentenced to death.”
But independent experts appointed by the United Nations warned on Tuesday that the creation of a fact-finding mission could provoke Iranian officials, who have already said they would not cooperate with the investigation.
“I am concerned that the Iranian regime will react violently to the Human Rights Council resolutions, which could lead to further violence and repression,” Javaid Rehman told Reuters on Tuesday, referring to the authorities. added that it had “launched a sentencing campaign.” [protesters] until death. “
Iran has attempted to downplay concerns that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has accused the United States and Israel of.
But a senior member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps said this week that more than 300 people had been killed or “martyrred” in the two months since the protests began. General Amir Ali Hajizadeh suggests young Iranians are victims of foreign conspiracies, unable to recognize their own “enemies” because they have not experienced war or revolution said.