On World Music Day, Iranian Composer Sentenced to Prison Sells His Instrument

On the occasion of World Music Day, Mehdi Rajabian, a composer and musician who was sentenced by the Iranian Revolutionary Court to six years in prison and a fine of 20 million tomans, announced that he is selling his setar to pay this fine. Mehdi Rajabian, a setar player and founder of the 'Barg Music' website, which operates in the field of alternative music, along with his brother Hossein Rajabian and filmmaker Youssef Emadi, was each sentenced to three years of suspended prison, three years of punitive imprisonment, and a fine of 20 million tomans. Their charges were announced by Branch 28 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court as 'insulting the sacred' and 'propaganda against the regime.' Mr. Rajabian wrote on his Instagram page on Wednesday evening, March 12, that 'I am selling my instrument to be able to pay the fines imposed.' He described his instrument as 'my entire asset' and stated that 'nothing else remains for me, and I am putting this instrument, with which I have cried and laughed, up for sale.' The World Music Freedom website also reflected Mehdi Rajabian's decision to sell his means of expressing his emotions (setar) and condemned the ruling against him, calling for a review of the court's decision in this regard. The website noted that on the day of music freedom, which musicians and their supporters celebrate, attention should also be paid to individuals like Mehdi Rajabian and two other artists who are deprived of their human right to artistic freedom. This website condemned the actions of several governments, policies, societies, and repressive religions in preventing their citizens from expressing their feelings and enjoying the beautiful songs and music they produce. Freemuse, an organization defending freedom of expression in music, along with nine other international organizations, sent a letter to the head of the Iranian judiciary and other officials of the Islamic Republic, calling for the acquittal of these three artists. According to Ole Reitov, the executive director of Freemuse, Iran 'loses the credibility it has gained due to discussions over its nuclear program by intimidating and unjustly imprisoning artists and media and civil activists.' Amnesty International also criticized the prison sentences for the Rajabian brothers and Emadi in a statement on Tuesday, March 11. This human rights organization warned the Iranian authorities about what it called 'the ongoing repression of artists and the violation of freedom of expression in Iran.' Previously, 165 artists, writers, and civil activists issued a statement protesting the judicial sentences against Mehdi and Hossein Rajabian and Youssef Emadi, calling for their acquittal and a change in the Iranian government's approach toward cultural and artistic activists. This statement was signed by artists such as Jafar Panahi, Mohsen Namjoo, Shahrnush Parsipour, Mehrangiz Kar, Asieh Amini, Shahin Najafi, Hannibal Youssef, members of the Abjeez group (Sofora and Melody Safavi), the Indu group (Shadi Yousofian and Ardalan Payvar), Ervin Khachikian, Rana Mansour, and Hamed Nikpay. Mehdi Rajabian, along with his brother Hossein Rajabian and Youssef Emadi, was arrested in October 2013 in their studio and office. The three were released after enduring two months of solitary confinement in Ward 2-A of the Revolutionary Guards with a bail of 200 million tomans. The 'Barg Music' website, founded by Mehdi Rajabian, is referred to as a website for 'producing, publishing, and introducing Iranian underground music.'