Iranian-American musicians have reacted with anger after Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi was sentenced to six years in prison for taking part in anti-regime protests.
Salehi was sentenced in Iran on Monday after his outspoken criticism of Tehran and his conviction of “enmity against God”, a charge that could have carried the death penalty.
The rapper was held in solitary confinement and tortured while in custody, his supporters and relatives say.
“When I heard about what happened to Toomaj since last October, I took it personally,” Iranian-American rapper Shaheen Samadi told The National.
“We’re both Iranian rappers who use our artform to [spread] awareness and raise hope for Iranians. The only difference is that I rap in English, and I live in the US.
"So it disgusted me to know that he was in solitary confinement and now six-plus years in jail for something I do every day in the US.”
A clampdown by Iranian authorities on the protest movement after the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, in police custody in September has left more than 500 demonstrators dead and about 20,000 in prison.
Another US-Iranian rapper, who asked to remain anonymous over fears of retribution from Tehran, said artists should be able to voice their views without worrying about reprisals from their own government.
“Any artist has the right to express their thoughts and beliefs, no matter how much it could offend anyone,” the rapper said.
“Especially when what they are expressing is their concern for freedom and basic human rights.”
Samadi performed at a recent festival in the Washington area, where more than 50 Iranian Americans gathered to speak out against the death of Amini and Tehran's response to protests caused by it.
She died in the custody of morality police after she was detained for the way she was wearing her headscarf.
“I felt obligated to participate in this because I feel the No 1 duty of the Iranian diaspora is to keep gathering people and to keep protesting and raising awareness for what’s happening in Iran," Samadi said.
"As a hip-hop artist, I believe that music always plays a role in educating, raising awareness, giving hope and power to the people."
Authorities in Iran have reduced the number of protests in recent months, something noted by Iman Huschmand, who organised last week's Azadi Festival in Washington.
The festival “is something that will help bring awareness to two important things that the regime has really stripped away from us", Mr Huschmand said.
"And that is a good reputation for all the great things that we have and bringing awareness to all the oppression, as well as the killings and tortures that they have been injecting into our country for the last 44 years."
Mr Huschmand’s planning of public and cultural for events led him to launch Unite and Conquer, a community organisation dedicated to all things Iranian, in 2019.
The%20specs
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BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
The specs: 2018 Audi RS5
Price, base: Dh359,200
Engine: 2.9L twin-turbo V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 450hp at 5,700rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 1,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km
'Midnights'
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Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
THE SPECS
Jaguar F-Pace SVR
Engine: 5-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 680Nm
Price: Dh465,071
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Liverpool’s fixtures until end of 2019
Saturday, November 30, Brighton (h)
Wednesday, December 4, Everton (h)
Saturday, December 7, Bournemouth (a)
Tuesday, December 10, Salzburg (a) CL
Saturday, December 14, Watford (h)
Tuesday, December 17, Aston Villa (a) League Cup
Wednesday, December 18, Club World Cup in Qatar
Saturday, December 21, Club World Cup in Qatar
Thursday, December 26, Leicester (a)
Sunday, December 29, Wolves (h)
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Five healthy carbs and how to eat them
Brown rice: consume an amount that fits in the palm of your hand
Non-starchy vegetables, such as broccoli: consume raw or at low temperatures, and don’t reheat
Oatmeal: look out for pure whole oat grains or kernels, which are locally grown and packaged; avoid those that have travelled from afar
Fruit: a medium bowl a day and no more, and never fruit juices
Lentils and lentil pasta: soak these well and cook them at a low temperature; refrain from eating highly processed pasta variants
Courtesy Roma Megchiani, functional nutritionist at Dubai’s 77 Veggie Boutique
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
TWISTERS
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos
Rating: 2.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
