Saman Yasin, rapper

Acclaimed Kurdish rapper Saman Yasin (Seydi), originally from Kermanshah, in western Iran or Rojhelat, is an outspoken critic of the Iranian regime who written several protest songs as well as social media messages in support of protesters.

Here is a music video from November 2022. Here is a petition on his behalf.

In September 2022, while participating in antigovernment protests in Tehran, he was arrested. In October he was charged with “enmity against God” (moharebeh), which carries the death penalty, and “assembly and collusion with the intention of acting against the security of the country.” The Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran sentenced him to death. He was denied the right to have a lawyer of his choice in court.

In prison, Yasin has been subjected to severe physical and mental torture in Evin Prison, including solitary confinement, and was forced to make confessions under duress. During his interrogation in Evin Prison, his nose was broken. He suffered a breathing disorder but was denied access to proper medical care.

In late December 2022, the Iranian Supreme Court overturned his death sentence due to “a flaw in the investigation” and referred it to the court for reinvestigation and retrial.

A document sent to Yasin in prison stated that the charges brought against him were “assembly and collusion with the intention of committing a crime against the security of the country”, and “disrupting the public order and peace.”

According to Iranian Human Rights: “Dissident rapper Saman Yasain (Seydi), an ethnic Kurd, started a hunger strike in Evin Prison’s Ward 209, which is under the control of the Intelligence Ministry. Yasin is awaiting  retrial after his death sentence on the charge of ‘waging war’ was overturned.”

Conditions in Rajai Shahr Prison, where he is detained, are harsh. On December 20, he attempted suicide by swallowing pills. He was treated at the prison hospital and was then moved to the political prisoners’ ward in the prison.

In March 2023 the Iranian Judiciary rejected his amnesty request.

In April 2024  the Iranian judiciary sentenced Yasin to five years of imprisonment, including isolation in exile at Shahrebabak prison in Kerman province. He will be in solitary confinement, with no communication or interaction with fellow inmates or visits from his family.

Photo: Iran Human Rights via Twitter