Police storm stage, arrest rap artists in Tehran underground show

Security forces arrested Iranian rapper Arash Seyedi, known as Eycin and his producer Rasam Sohrabi during a live underground performance at a cafe in western Tehran on Thursday, eyewitnesses told Iran International.

“He had a performance at a café in western Tehran in Janatabad when plainclothes officers and the police arrived, arrested him and his composer, and detained several people there,” one source said, requesting to remain anonymous for security reasons.

A video obtained by Iran International shows the moment the officers storm the venue and detain the underground rapper. A masked man can be seen in the footage, who the source said was one of those who detained Eycin.

“They came with a van and took everyone away. The venue was also sealed off,” the source added, "Eycin had scheduled several performances in cafes, on a tour, in Qeshm in recent weeks."

The fans were later released but two sources told Iran International that Eycin and his composer remained in detention.

A source said that both Eysin and Sohrabi appeared in court on Friday morning, however the charges against them remain unknown.

“Lately, rappers have been organizing a lot of underground performances through various methods. It seems like they want to crack down before it spreads,” the source said.

International human rights organizations have condemned Iran's suppression of artistic expression in recent years.

In the aftermath of Iran's nationwide protests sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini in September 2022, at least two rappers - Toomaj Salehi and Saman Yasin - were sentenced to death in connection with their music. Following an international outcry, their death sentences were revoked.