Iranian Protest Artist among Dozens of Arrested

Iranian authorities have detained Nima Rezaei, a musician who collaborated on the protest song "Beginning of the End," and took him to an undisclosed location.

Rezaei has had no communication with his family since his arrest near Tehran’s City Theater on September 17.

The arrest came as protests continued across Iran amid a widespread crackdown by security forces a year after Mahsa Amini’s death in police custody.

A tweet from Shargh newspaper quoted statements from officials saying that at least 260 individuals had been arrested over the weekend. 

The number is believed to be much higher, however. 

The prosecutor of Qarchak prison near the capital announced the arrest of a person who allegedly planned “harmful and destructive actions in Tehran province.”

The official did not give the identity of the suspect.

In the northern province of Alborz, officials announced the arrest of an unidentified “dual citizen” accused of “attempting to organize riots and vandalism” in Karaj, near Tehran.

Meanwhile, the Intelligence Organization of the Isfahan Police Command announced the arrest of 10 people, saying that one of them faced charges of leading protests. 

As many as 137 protesters were reportedly arrested in West Azerbaijan province on September 16.