German rappers around Kool Savas and Xatar set an example of solidarity with those imprisoned in Iran

In mid-September 2022, protests critical of the regime began in the Kurdish part of Iran, which spread to the whole country and are still ongoing. The security apparatus of the state leadership around religious leader Ali Khamenei has since arrested around 20,000 people. So far, more than 500 Iranians have died as part of the demonstrations, and according to information from the United Nations, over 600 others have been executed. Also among those arrested are at least three Iranian rappers, Toomaj Salehi, Saman Yasin, and Behrad Alikenar. The RAP4AZADI campaign took their stories and words as an opportunity to draw attention to the persistence of the protests and their violent suppression. Just in time for the start of the Persian spring and new year festival of Nowruz on March 21st.

In a video published on YouTube, the German rappers Kool Savas, Celo & Abdi, Takt32, Peter Fox, Jalil, Sugar MMFK and Xatar speak for the detainees. The Iranian rapper Justina recalls the oppression of women in Iran. The Tehran-born Berlin rapper MC Basstard will also perform.

At the end of the video, the imprisoned Toomaj has his say. According to the video description, there has been no contact with him for a long time and that he was severely tortured during his detention. He faces the death penalty.

The clip was published on the channel of the production company “The World Is Yours”, with which director Omid Mirnour already realized his short film “Corruption on Earth”, which was released last December. This also deals with the protests – named after the criminal offense for which the protesters are and were being tried.

The protests erupted on September 16, 2022 after 21-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman Jina Mahsa Amini died in police custody. She was arrested because her headscarf didn’t fit properly. In some German cities, too, members of the Iranian diaspora continue to demonstrate regularly.

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