Mehdi Rajabian

He is a musician, Se-Tar player, a student of music, and founder of Barg Music website. Between 2008 to 2013, Barg Music has released over 100 albums of Iranian alternative musicians, including some works of Shahin Najafi. He has played on and recorded several albums including "History of Iran Narrated by Se-Tar"

<coverage-outsourcing id='8373'> Mehdi Rajabian, Hossein Rajabian, and Yousef Emadi were arrested at their office in the city of Sari and were taken to a safe house of the security forces in that city. According to Iran Wire, the agents of the Revolutionary Guard did not have an arrest warrant. They were mistreated during that time and were pressured to make confessions against themselves on television. Also, Ms. Azadeh .S, who also worked on Barg Music website was arrested in Hamedan a week after them. At the time, Mehdi Rajabian was recording his album titled "History of Iran Narrated by Se-Tar", but this album was sequestred and banned. </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='8381'> Mehdi and Hossein Rajabian were released on 200 million Toman bail after two months of solitary confinement </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='8378'> According to Iran Wire, although the third branch of Sari Revolutionary Court was supposed to change their detention to a bail of 200 million Tomans, the bail was canceled and the three of them were Transferred to ward 2A of Evin Prison </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='8386'> In a joint letter to the minister of Islamic Guidance, over 400 citizens asked for the release of these artists. According to Kalameh, after this letter, the Association for Defense of Freedom of Speech in Music, along with 9 other international organizations sent a letter to the head of judiciary and other authorities requesting their release </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='8382'> Kalameh reported that branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court presided by Judge Moghiseh sentenced Mehdi Rajabian, Hossein Rajabian, and Yousef Emadi to five years in prison for the charge of "blasphemy", one year in prison and 20 million tomans fine for the charge of "propaganda against the regime." During the trial, Judge Moghiseh claimed that Barg Music website's "intent was the promotion of indifference towards holiness and sacred subjects through underground music" and was also "active in the field of cinema." The duration of the whole trial was 15 minutes </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='8390'> The appeal trial was held </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='8397'> Iran Wire reported that Hossein Rajabian has been accepted by Vienna's University of Dramatic Arts in Austria, but is not allowed to leave the country </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='8396'> "Free Muse" organization started a campaign asking from all artists across the world to object to the prison sentences of these artists. International PENN Association, Council of Arts in Europe, European Composer and Songwriter Alliance, and twenty more institutions participated in this campaign </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='8408'> 165 artists, authors, and civil activists published a joint statement in protest to the court verdicts of these three artists and requested their exoneration and a change in Iranian regime's attitude towards cultural and arts activists. According to Radio Farda, Among signatories are Jafar Panahi, Mohsen Namjoo, Shahrnoosh Parsipoor, Mehrangiz Kar, and Shahin Najafi </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='8402'> Amnesty International Organization in a statement noted that these verdicts are in clear violation of the right to freedom of speech, and asked the Iranian regime for the immediate and unconditional reversal of these verdicts. Twenty thousand Artists from across the world joined the organization's campaign for the release of these three artists </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='8403'> According to Kalameh website, branch 54 of Tehran appeal court presided by Judge Babayi, sentenced Mehdi Rajabian, Hossein Rajabian, and Yousef Emadi to three years of mandatory prison, three years of suspended prison, and 20 million tomans in fines </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='8391'> With International Music Day on March 3rd getting close, Amnesty International organization and a number of artists from across the world asked Iranian government to stop the persecution of Hossein Rajabian, Mehdi Rajabian, and Yousef Emadi </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='8409'> Mehdi Rajabian announced on his Instagram page that he is putting his Se-Tar (Musical instrument) up for sale so he can pay his fines. "Free Muse" and "International Day for Music Freedom Website" devoted some pages in support of his protest </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='9248'> According to Zamaneh, in a joint letter to the Norway's Foreign Ministry, Iran's Human Rights Organization, Norway's Amnesty International, PENN Association of Norway, and SafeMuse Organization requested efforts from the government to stop and overturn the verdicts of Rajabian Brothers and Yousef Emadi </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='8414'> The sentence of Mehdi and Hossein Rajabian began </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='8415'> According to Harana, Mehdi and Hossein Rajabian were told that Article 134 (accumulated sentence) will not apply to them, and if they do not pay the cash fine, they will stay in prison until 2020 </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='8873'> Through a letter, he presented his Se-Tar (musical instrument) to his teacher Hossein Alizadeh. This short letter and the response which were both published by Iran Human Rights Tarnegar, are saved in the Supporting Evidence section of this page </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='8372'> "Keyhan NNovin" reported that he is in need of medical treatment outside the prison and monthly medical injections, but since the beginning of his sentence he has been sent for outside medical treatment only once </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='8961'> According to "Saham" report, he was transferred to the ward 8 after his heated argument with the prison prosecutor </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='8978'> According to Harana, Mehdi and Hossein Rajabian went on a hunger strike in Evin Prison in protest to getting separated and transferred to different wards </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='9102'> Justice for Iran provided an extensive report on Mehdi and Hossein Rajabian's situation and published a letter on behalf of these two political prisoners. This letter is saved in the Supporting Evidence section of this page </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='9103'> The "Justice for Iran" report once again emphasized the physical conditions of Mehdi and Hossein Rajabian. According to this organization's report, due to the blows Mehdi Rajabian suffered during his temporary arrest, after his release he had a seizure which led to coma </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='9250'> In a press conference, Mohseni Ejei, the spokesman for Iran's Judiciary, was asked by a reporter: It's been rumored that Mehdi and Hossein Rajabian have been diagnosed with MS, but they are not allowed temporary leave. Will the judiciary intervene? Mohseni Ejei responded that you are quoting these things from the family of the convict or the accused: > Those who enter prison will be afforded temporary leave of treatment by the recommendation of the surgeon general if they have diseases that are deemed untreatable in prison </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='9674'> Harana published an open letter from Mehdi and Hossein Rajabian. In the letter, the brothers explain the reason for their hunger strike, what events have occurred related to their situation, and that if the current situation continues they will go on a "more severe hunger strike. They have also asked from all the artists around the world to "show a peaceful reaction befitting the arts" </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='10018'> According to International Human Rights Campaign, in protest to "medical negligence and denial of temporary leave", Hossein and Mehdi Rajabian once again went on hunger strike. In a letter they wrote on this matter, they said the reason they ended the previous hunger strike was because a special representative of the prosecutor had promised them in an "official meeting" that they will soon be moved together in the same ward and receive sufficient medical treatment </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='9924'> According to Iran Wire, by the order of the prison warden, phone contacts between Rajabian brothers who are now kept in separate wards have been cut off </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='9923'> An informed source told Iran Wire that due to the hunger strike, Mehdi Rajabian has been vomiting blood for the last couple of days. According to this prisoner, Rajabian has refused medical treatment and hospital because of the possibility of being injected with nutrients. After his disagreement with the prison's attending physician, there was a fight in which the doctor assaulted him and punched him in the stomach. Mehdi Rajabian filed a complaint against the prison's physician and wrote that he will not be returning to either the prison's treatment center nor the hospital </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='10256'> A group of Evin prisoners wrote a letter in support of Arash and other prisoner on hunger strike. The signatories are as follows: Saeed Jokar, Arash Majdaee, Ahmad Afzali, Nasrollah Lashani, Navid Kamran, Amir Amir Gholi, Peyman Mirzayi, Davoud Karbalayi, Sabra Hassanpour, and Kourosh Zaeem </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='10213'> Amnesty International released a statement offering details of the cases of the eight prisoners on hunger strike and demanding their freedom. The mentioned prisoners are: Mohammad Ali Taheri, Arash Sadeghi, Mehdi Rajabian, Hossein Rajabian, Rasoul Razavi, Morteza Moradpour, Vahid Sayadi Nassiri, and Ali Shariati </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='10582'> Harana reported that Hassan Rouhani was asked in a letter signed by twelve thousand people to look after the eights prisoners on hunger strike </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='12707'> Harana reported that several prisoners in Ward 7of Evin Prison, including Mehdi Rajabian, Hossein Rajabian, Esmaeel Abdi, Sohail Arabi, Omid Alishenas, and Yousef Emadi, have started a sit-in to protest the head of the ward's medical center, Mr. Ghassem Jafarnejad's negligence of his duties and asked for his replacement in a letter. Their protest is mainly regarding the alarming health conditions of Hossein Rajabian, Mehdi Rajabian, and Sohail Arabi, which has deteriorated due to the medical center' negligence and their refusal to transfer these individuals to a hospital </coverage-outsourcing>
<coverage-outsourcing id='13884'> Amnesty International North American chapter, has devoted a letter writing campaign for the Iranian new year, Norouz, addressing: Saeed Malekpour, Keyvan Karimi, Mehdi Rajian, Hossein Rajabian, Nargess Mohammadi, MohammadAli Taheri, Atena Daemi, and Mahvash Sabet </coverage-outsourcing>