By Kayhan Life Staff
Two months after the nationwide protests in Iran and the deadly crackdown that followed, Iranian citizens continue to undergo arrest. The artist community seems particularly hard hit: the number of recently imprisoned artists has risen to more than 45.
According to labor activists, most of the artists were arrested during security raids on their homes, when their electronic devices were confiscated. Some detainees were reportedly subjected to physical violence at the time of their arrest, and several are said to be in poor health at their place of detention.
Among the artists whose arrests were announced over the past week by friends and family members are Ahmad Sefarzadeh, a theater director and actor; Mohammad Moein Alaghemand, an actor, playwright, and assistant director; Ali Hamdani, a theater actor; Nima Amiri, a graphic design student; Artin Pariyoush, a musician and jeweler; Mostafa Ali Mohammadi, a pianist and piano instructor; and Sirvan Shabani, a tar, setar, and tanbur player who also leads both the traditional and pop orchestra at the Bahman Cultural Center.
With these most recent detentions, the number of imprisoned artists has risen to more than 45.
Labor activists previously published the names of 40 detained artists. Among them are Alborz Adi, a painter; Sahand Abbasnian, a student at the Tabriz University of Art; Kimia Mousavi (Marzieh Sadat), an actor and puppeteer; Hossein Mazinani, a musician; Arashk Zaferani, a singer; Negin Khaksar, a pianist and piano instructor; Nastaran Bagherzadeh, a theater actor; Parsa Moslehi-Fard, a musician and composer; Davoud Abbasi, a filmmaker; Artin Ghazfari, a photographer; Davoud Norouzi, a poet; and Mahyar Aghamohammadbagher, a jewelry designer.
Also detained are Sadegh Mansouri, a calligrapher and calligraphy instructor; Hemmat Karimi, a cinema student; Mohammad Parsa Ostadreza, a lyricist, singer, and composer; Abdollah Aajparin, a theater director, writer, and actor; Paria Marandiz, a theater and film actor; Shakila Ghasemi, a graphic designer; and Ali Asadollahi, a poet and writer. All of them remain in detention.
Reports further indicate that Paria Marandiz and Shakila Ghasemi are among the detained artists who belong to the Baha’i community.
Among those detained, filmmaker Davoud Abbasi and playwright and theater director Setareh Afshoun were temporarily released in recent days after posting bail and are currently awaiting court verdicts.
Several other artists have been summoned and threatened by security institutions for publishing material related to the January protests and the deadly crackdown carried out by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Although some of these individuals have not been formally arrested, they face charges reportedly fabricated by security bodies and are expected to stand trial soon.
Labor activists say there is no information about the whereabouts of many detained artists. This shortage of news has heightened concerns about their well-being.
During the January protests, several artists were among those killed.
According to human rights sources, the following artists were among those reportedly killed in the Lion and Sun Revolution of Iran: Javad Ganji, a director and assistant director; Mehdi Salahshour, a sculptor; Ahmad Abbasi, a graphic designer, producer, and theater actor; and Sanam Pourbabai, a violinist and instructor.
Also among the dead are Amirali Zarei, a musician and art student; Sahba Rashtian, a painter and animator; Pouya Faragardi, a violinist; Shokoufeh Abdi, a photographer; Shabnam Ferdowsi, a doll-maker and graphic designer; and Zahra Shomaeizadeh, a stage manager and dubbing artist.
Reports state that Shokoufeh Abdi, a professional photographer, was shot and killed by agents of the Islamic Republic on Jan. 9 while documenting protests in Arak, the capital of the central province of Markazi.
Mehdi Monem, a prominent news photographer, announced her death on his Instagram page, writing: “Shokoufeh Abdi, from Shah Zand in Arak, was the mother of two children and the owner of Lotus Photography Studio in Arak. She was killed as an independent female photographer while documenting protest gatherings.”
“This incident underscores the social significance of photography as a fusion of art, information, and professional conscience,” Monem said. “Capturing the gaze of a protester or the face of a worried mother reflects the emotional bond between the photographer and her subjects. It is this bond that transforms photography from a purely technical practice into a socially responsible profession.”
Monem, who also documented the Iran–Iraq War (1980 to 1988), noted that in times of unrest, photographers face restrictions on their work, as well as the risks of arrest, violence, and even death. Nevertheless, he stressed that their professional responsibility requires them, while adhering to ethical standards, to document reality accurately and impartially.
