3:19
- ABC News
- December 16, 2022
Iranian rappers face regime’s crackdown
Three prominent rappers have been arrested and face possible execution.
Konari is another rapper who was arrested amid the protests and is reportedly facing execution. Like Salehi and Yasin, he addresses social and political issues under the Islamic Republic. His music tackles everything from morality police to censorship and economic corruption.
In a music video for his song \"Mr. President,\" Konari played a presidential candidate who is giving promises.
He raps, \"If you vote for me, I'll make water and bread free. For clothing then no one will be tricked. Any idea on media suppression? That would be easy, the national internet.\"
Salehi and Konari are currently facing charges of \"corruption on earth\" and \"waging war against God,\" or \"moharebeh,\" both severe crimes based on Sharia law and punishable by execution. Yasin is the only one of the three who has been convicted of his crimes.
Iran executed two protesters over the past week on charges of moharebeh. Mohsen Shekari was executed on Dec. 8, and Majid Reza Rahnavard was executed on Dec. 12. Neither Rahnavard nor Shekari were allowed to appoint their own lawyers.
Amnesty International has condemned the reported executions in Iran and requested the Iranian judiciary stop the \"grossly unfair sham trials\" and death sentences.
But death sentences and detentions haven't stopped rappers in Iran from continuing their vocal criticism of the government. Even as he sits inside a prison, Toomaj's official Twitter account is still active, likely being run by someone from his team. It recently tweeted a defiant message to his half-million followers.
\"The awakened nation cannot be silenced, we don't just chant slogans, in practice we are behind each other with strength until victory,\" he wrote.
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