John, the latest Human Rights Tracker update from NIAC is here.Click here to view this update in your browser. [[link removed]]
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[link removed] [[link removed]]Saman Yasin (Seydi)—a rapper from Kermanshah—was charged by the Iranian judiciary with “Moharebeh” (war against God) and is now facing execution [[link removed]] . Security forces abducted the 27-year-old from his home in Tehran on October 2nd after discovering his social media posts and songs in which he criticised the government and expressed support for the nationwide protests that were sparked by the murder of Jina Mahsa Amini in September and have continued unabated across the country. Yasin was detained [[link removed]] in Fashafouyeh prison for two weeks before being transferred to Evin prison. He gave a forced confession after being tortured in prison, reports say.
Another rapper, Toomaj Salehi [[link removed]] , was arrested on September 30th and remains detained in a prison in Isfahan where he has been tortured. Recently, the 32-year-old rapper released his music video, Omen [[link removed]] , which contains lyrics attacking the Islamic Republic and predicting its downfall. “I am the predictor, the fortune teller,” he says in the video. “We will rise from the bottom and target the top of the pyramid,” he says. On social media, Salehi has shared videos of him participating in anti-government protests in Isfahan. He has also branded the provincial authorities as “scum who suppress and arrest [innocent] people” and “cowardly vermin.” Since his arrest, a video was shared on state-sponsored news agency in which Salehi is blindfolded while being coerced into apologizing for his criticism of the state. Rather than heeding the rightful calls of Iranian protestors for freedom, Iranian authorities continue trying to portray them as criminals, “The accused played a key role in creating, inviting and encouraging riots in Isfahan province and in the city of Shahin Shahr,” said [[link removed]] Seyyed Mohammad Mousavian, a spokesperson for Isfahan Province Judiciary.
The Islamic Republic appears to be intensifying violence and threats against protesters. On Tuesday, 277 members of the Iranian parliament voted [[link removed]] to execute protesters after a group of lawmakers signed a letter recommending severe punishments for protesters that “would serve as a good lesson in the shortest possible time.” Fear grows for the fate of nearly 15,000 [[link removed]] innocent Iranians who have been arrested in connection to the nationwide demonstrations.
NIAC condemns all forms of state-sponsored violence against protesters and urges the Islamic Republic to uphold its obligations under international law to honor the people’s rights of freedom of speech and assembly, including by unconditionally releasing Yasin and Salehi. Furthermore, we urge the international community to take measures that hold Iranian officials accountable for their egregious human rights violations. It is the responsibility of all countries that respect human rights to condemn and investigate the atrocities perpetrated. Finally, we must amplify the voices of the Iranian people and support their movement for democracy and freedom.
NIAC works to advance the Iranian-American community.
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This is an email from the National Iranian American Council (NIAC). NIAC's Human Rights Tracker [[link removed]] is part of our efforts to spotlight human rights in Iran as a means of holding the Iranian government accountable. As an American organization, we don't have a role to play in the domestic affairs of Iran. But we do have an obligation to support international human rights standards to which the U.S. and Iran are party.
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