A Kurdish rapper and singer named Saman Yasin (Seydi), who is held in Tehran’s Evin Prison on charges of “enmity against God” (moharebeh), has been subjected to severe physical and mental torture to make a confession on TV.
The tortures the artist was subjected to include being kept in a very cold place for three successive days, severe beatings and being thrown from a height.
On 9 November, Yasin who comes from Kermanshah went on a hunger strike for two days in protest against being denied communication with his family and the uncertainty of his situation in Evin Prison.
On the second day of his hunger strike, the Security Prosecutor’s Office based in prison contacted his family and the family managed to visit their son in a cabin.
On 24 November, he managed to meet his family in a cabin for the second time since his detention.
On 29 October, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s state news agencies reported that a court hearing had been held for several arrested protesters, including Saman Yasin.
On the same day, a video of the singer’s forced confessions was released by the state media.
The media said that the Kurdish artist had been charged with “enmity against God” (moharebeh) and “assembly and collusion with the intention of acting against the security of the country”.
The accusation of “enmity against God” (moharebeh) and the publishing of forced confessions obtained from the Kurdish artist as a result of pressure and torture have caused concerns among his family, human rights organisations and public opinion in Kurdistan and Iran regarding his detention condition and the possibility of issuance of a death sentence for him and other defendants.
The artist has been denied the right to have a lawyer and receive family visits since his arrest.
On 2 October, Yasin was taken to the Prosecutor’s Security Office located in Evin Prison and then transferred to Fashafouyeh Prison [also known as The Greater Tehran Central Penitentiary].
He was transferred to Tehran’s Evin prison after about two weeks of detention in Fashafouyeh Prison.
