Tehran — According to reports, the Iranian government’s crackdown on dissent and perceived support for nationwide anti-government protests has continued with the arrests of a journalist who interviewed the families of death row inmates sentenced in connection with the protests and a celebrity chef whose recipe selection was likely interpreted as a veiled jab at the hardline Islamic regime.
Fourteen Iranians have been sentenced to death in connection with the September 16 riots sparked by the death in jail of Mahsa Amini. The morality police in Tehran detained the 22-year-old Iranian Kurd for allegedly violating the Islamic republic’s clothing code for women.
“Mehdi Beikoghli, head of the political service at Etemad daily, was arrested last night,” the newspaper’s website stated.
In recent weeks, the journalist, the most recent journalist to be imprisoned in Iran, conducted interviews with various families of individuals sentenced to death as a result of the protests.
On December 31, 2022, a demonstration in support of anti-government demonstrations in Iran is staged in Istanbul, Turkey. Hakan Akgun /dia images/Getty
Last month, two 23-year-old men were hanged in connection with the demonstrations that Iranian authorities refer to as “riots.” According to an AFP tally based on official declarations, twelve others have been sentenced to hang. Half of the defendants are awaiting retrial.
Foreign-based rights groups and activists allege that scores of further demonstrators face charges carrying the death penalty.
The head of Iran’s security agency announced last month that more than 200 individuals, including members of the security forces, have been slain since the protests began; however, human rights groups place the death toll at a higher number. Authorities have reported charges against almost 2,000 individuals.
Navab Ebrahimi, a popular chef and Instagram influencer known for his films promoting Persian cuisine, was also held by Iranian officials on Thursday, according to human rights organisations and allies.
The well-known Iranian chef and Instagram influencer Navab Ebrahimi is depicted in an image taken from one of his instructional films on YouTube. YouTube/Navab Ebrahimi
The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that Ebrahimi was arrested in Tehran on Wednesday and transferred to the notorious Evin jail.
No cause was offered for the arrest of Ebrahimi, who had about 2.7 million Instagram followers who enjoyed his professionally produced videos demonstrating how to prepare traditional Persian meals.
Social media users stated, however, that the arrest coincided with him publishing a recipe for Persian cutlets on the day Iranian authorities commemorated the third anniversary of Revolutionary Guards General Qassem Soleimani’s assassination by the United States.
Some Iranians hostile to the regime have a tradition of publishing photographs of cutlets on the anniversary of his death as a reference to the U.S. drone attack that killed him in Iraq.
“In Tehran, chef and influencer Navab Ebrahimi has been detained. Social media users hypothesize that his detention was related to his Instagram account “The New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran commented on cutlets.
Nik Yousefi, an Iranian filmmaker and photographer who was himself imprisoned and then released in October as part of the crackdown, tweeted that Ebrahimi had been arrested and his Tehran cafe, Noj, had been closed.
As the Iranian government organized memorials for Soleimani’s death on Wednesday, his opponents uploaded photographs of his image being burned on banners.
»Iran’s crackdown continues with journalist and celebrity chef arrests«