Behrad Ali-Konari, Protest Singer, to Serve Six-Month Prison Sentence

Behrad Ali-Konari, a protest rapper, announced that he must report to Qom prison to serve a six-month sentence. On Saturday, September 3, he shared a video on his Instagram page stating that he is introducing himself to the prison for the execution of the sentence, which was issued on charges of 'collaborating with hostile media to promote against the regime.' He further mentioned that with the help of lawyers, 'we worked very hard, and this is the minimum sentence I am facing.' The protest singer also expressed concern that based on his previous prison experience in 2022, he might lose his 'motivation' and 'enthusiasm' for producing artistic works after serving this sentence. Behrad Ali-Konari was arrested in Ordibehesht this year and was temporarily released on bail after some time. He had previously been detained during the 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests in 2022. During the first session of the case regarding the death of Rouhollah Ajamian, a Basij member killed in Karaj, Ali-Konari's name was mentioned as one of the 15 defendants in the case. Meanwhile, Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Mohammad Hosseini faced the death penalty, which was carried out in January 2023. Behrad Ali-Konari was released from prison in Farvardin 2023 following the pardon of some detainees from the 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests. Over the past two years, protest singers such as Saman Saidi (Yasin), Tomaj Salehi, Vafa Ahmadpour, Shervin Hajipour, and Daniel Moghadam have been arrested and faced various judicial sentences for their involvement in the 2022 protests.