The Tamesis
At least four artists have been killed by Iranian police and militia since nationwide demonstrations against the Islamic Republic erupted in December, according to Artists at Risk Connection (ARC).
In a statement issued on January 13, the nonprofit organization, which provides emergency financial support to struggling artists and cultural workers around the world, condemned reports of civilian killings by Iranian authorities, as well as government-imposed internet and mobile phone blockades.
Related articles
Citing reliable human rights organizations and international media reports, ARC said the thousands of civilians confirmed dead include sculptor Mehdi Salahshur, film producer Jawad Ganji, fashion designer and student Rubina Aminian and hip-hop artist Sorush Soleimani.
“As Iranians protested across the country over the past two weeks, Iranian government forces have carried out widespread extrajudicial killings as a means of quelling popular protests,” ARC executive director Julie Trébault said in a statement. “With information suppressed, it is difficult to assess the scope of the crackdown, but from reports of these attacks on artists, it is clear that anyone could be targeted by police and militias.” She added that the ARC “condemns the killings of these Iranian artists and calls on authorities to cease attacks and detentions of protesters, and for the international community to take urgent action to stop escalating violations of human rights and humanitarian norms.” “
Salah Shur, a 50-year-old father, was shot dead by Iranian government forces on January 8 during a protest in Mashhad. A widely exhibited artist and educator, Salah Shur leads a sculpture studio at Tehran University and serves as an honorary member of the Institute for the Development of Visual Arts.
One day later, on January 9, film producer Javad Ganji was shot dead by regime forces while participating in a protest in Tehran. Actor and theater director Ahmad Abbasi was also killed during the demonstrations, ARC and ARC reported. deadline. In response, the Iranian Independent Filmmakers Association (IIFMA) – a dissident film organization founded in the wake of the Women, Life, Freedom movement – issued a call for the international community to intervene on behalf of Iranians.
“The brutality of the Islamic regime has escalated to alarming levels, with reports that more than 2,000 innocent people were killed by the regime using weapons of war in just three days following the unprecedented internet shutdown,” IIFMA said in a statement.
Protests across Iran escalated late last month as the local currency plummeted, marking a new low for the heavily sanctioned country’s economy. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei publicly denounced the demonstrators as “saboteurs” and “saboteurs” while urging authorities to suppress dissent by any means. The Iranian regime has blocked communications by disabling internet and mobile phone access, effectively cutting off contact with the outside world.
IIFMA also shared a joint statement from Iranian filmmakers Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof, who reiterated their call on the international community to “immediately find ways to facilitate access to important information about Iran by enabling communication platforms and to monitor what is happening in Iran,” adding that “history has proven that silence today will have regrettable consequences in the future.”
