Popular Kurdish singer Azizi Waisi arrested in Iran for allegedly supporting protests

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Aziz Waisi was arrested on Saturday by Iranian security forces in the Kurdish city of Kermanshah on charges of allegedly supporting the ongoing nationwide protests across the Islamic republic, his son told Rudaw.

Waisi is a highly-regarded, popular Kurdish singer from the town of Javanrud in Iran’s western Kurdish areas (Rojhelat). He was arrested after dedicating a song to people killed by security forces and posting a video on his Instagram page expressing support for the ongoing demonstrations in Iran stemming from the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa (Zhina) Amini last month in custody of the Islamic republic’s so-called morality police in Tehran.

His son Sahand confirmed the arrest to Rudaw and posted a video on Instagram.

“Unfortunately, today my father was summoned by the 16th branch of the Kermanshah court. According to the information we have, he is in detention of the security forces in Kermanshah,” Sahand said in the video.

Founder of Paris-based Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) Rebin Rahmani told Rudaw English on Saturday that an additional three Kurdish singers were arrested in early October by Iranian security forces in the capital of Tehran, one of whom has been released while the fate of the two others remains unknown.

KHRN monitors human rights violations in Iran’s Kurdish provinces, namely in Kurdistan, Kermanshah, Ilam, parts of West Azerbaijan, and other localities across Iran where Kurds are present. At least 32 protestors have been killed in the Kurdish areas and nearly 1,000 others wounded.

Large protests have taken place in Iran’s Kurdish cities over the past month despite the arrests of thousands of people, according to KHRN.

According to Oslo-based Iran Human Rights, the nationwide death toll from the demonstrations is at least 201 since the protests began.