Iranian protest rap music artists Daniel Moghadam and Vafa Ahmadpour, known as Vafadar, were detained in Shiraz following the release of a music video titled “Be Prepared.”
According to a post on Vafadar’s Instagram page Thursday, he and Moghadam were apprehended at 1:30 p.m. in Shiraz. Their exact location and condition since then remain undisclosed.
Moghadam and Vafadar criticized the Islamic Republic of Iran and highlighted the nation’s crises and the challenges faced by the Iranian people in the song, which was recorded at the site of the ancient city of Persepolis.
Moghadam recently said on Instagram that authorities arrested him and Vafadar, stating, “The authorities are storming in. The people… The house is being stormed… Vafa and I are together.”
Moghadam, an actor and singer, took to his Instagram page Thursday urging the Iranian government to release “all political prisoners and artists” and to end “mandatory hijab” laws, declaring, “We are prepared to liberate Iran from the clutches of your abominable regime.”
Vafadar urged public support for their music video on his Instagram page, stating “This might be my final song before imprisonment … Long live Iran.”
Moghadam and Vafadar had previously faced pressure from intelligence agencies due to their artistic endeavors, which are critical of the Islamic Republic.
The dissenting rappers have been detained, while Toomaj Salehi, another protesting rapper, has been sentenced to death by the Isfahan Revolutionary Court.
