Daniel Moghadam, Protest Rapper, Temporarily Released on 5 Billion Toman Bail

Daniel Moghadam, the imprisoned protest rapper, has been temporarily released from Adelabad Prison in Shiraz on a bail of 5 billion tomans. According to reports, this critical singer was released on Friday, July 29. Daniel Moghadam and Vafa Ahmadpour, protest rappers, were arrested by government forces in Shiraz after performing a song titled "Be Ready" on May 20 and were transferred to the Shiraz Intelligence Department detention center known as Plaque 100. They were later moved to the central detention facility of this city located in Adelabad Prison. Vafa Ahmadpour, known as "Vafadar," defended himself in court on Wednesday, July 27, against the charge of "collusion and conspiracy to commit a crime against internal security by cooperating with the regime's opponents." Daniel Moghadam, an actor and singer, had previously called for the release of "all political prisoners and artists" and an end to "mandatory hijab" in an Instagram post directed at the Iranian authorities. Meanwhile, Mohammad-Hadi Jafarpour, the lawyer for Daniel Moghadam and Vafa Ahmadpour, announced in an Instagram message that although both of his clients were eligible for conditional release on a 5 billion toman bail, Vafa Ahmadpour could not benefit from this release due to the activation of a previous conviction against him. According to this lawyer, Vafa Ahmadpour had previously been sentenced to one year in prison by the Tehran Revolutionary Court, and therefore posting bail would not lead to his release. Pressure on protesting artists by the Islamic Republic has increased following the support of many cultural and sports figures for the nationwide protests "Women, Life, Freedom." Currently, two other protest singers, Tomaj Salehi and Saman Seydi (Yasin), are in prison. They were previously sentenced to death, but these sentences were later overturned by the Supreme Court. A political prisoner held in Qazalhasar prison recently warned about the "dire situation" of Saman Yasin in Qazalhasar prison in Karaj. Amnesty International has once again called for the "immediate and unconditional release" of Tomaj Salehi. Vafa Ahmadpour, the imprisoned protest rapper, defended himself against political charges. The lawyer of another artist, Tataloo, stated that his client has vowed to walk to Karbala after his release. The performance of the piece "Zarathustra" at the "Women, Life, Freedom" concert was aimed at supporting the freedom-seeking struggles of the Iranian people.