Iranian musician Shervin Hajipour and Iranian soccer player Hossein Mahini were arrested after expressing support for ongoing protests sweeping Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini.
A few days ago, Hajipour released a song based on tweets supporting the protests called “For” on Instagram. The song was removed from the platform on Thursday. The circumstances of his arrest are as of yet unclear, according to Radio Farda.
Mahini, a former player in the Iranian Persepolis soccer club, was arrested on Thursday after a court order was issued against him due to posts supporting the protests, the Iranian IRNA news reported.
“The material published by Mahini was an example of an attempt to promote disorder and chaos in the country and did not match the facts in any way,” reported IRNA. Mahini’s Twitter account features a series of tweets using the hashtag #Mahsa_Amini.
A number of Iranian artists and celebrities have been arrested amid the protests as support for the demonstrations grows.
A man gestures during a protest over the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested by the Islamic republic’s ”morality police”, in Tehran, Iran September 19, 2022. (credit: WANA VIA REUTERS)The official Instagram page of Iranian actress Katayoun Riahi posted that an arrest warrant had been issued against the actress and that Iranian security forces had raided her house, but she had evaded arrest.
The E-Commerce Association of Tehran published a statement on Thursday warning that the restrictions on internet services and platforms implemented by the Iranian government were damaging the country’s digital economy, according to Radio Farda.
The Mehr News Agency reported on Thursday that 60 people were arrested in Qom for encouraging protests online and with printed pamphlets.
Protests continue across Iran in wake of Mahsa Amini’s death
Protests continued throughout Iran on Thursday night, with demonstrations and clashes reported in Rasht, Qom, Sanandaj, Mashhad and Yazd. Some protests were also reported in Tehran. Labor strikes were reported in a number of cities throughout Iran in solidarity with the protests.
Largescale protests have broken out across Iran in the past week, after Amini, 22, died after being arrested for wearing “unsuitable attire” by the morality police in Tehran, with witnesses stating that she was beaten while being transported to the police station. The authorities have said they would launch an investigation into the cause of death, but have largely called the incident an accident and denied any wrongdoing.