A prominent Iranian musician and activist has described his life of “complete prohibition” days after he was arrested and charged with aiding women to sing and dance.
Mehdi Rajabian, 30, said he was summoned by a police officer last week and sent to the Revolutionary Court of Sair after one of his latest art projects was published online. It was the third time he has been arrested by the Iranian regime because of his craft.
In October 2013, Mr Rajabian was first arrested by the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and sent to Tehran’s notorious Evin jail. He was accused of insulting the values of Islam and spreading propaganda against the regime.
The arrest came shortly after he released the album History of Iran Narrated by Setar. The setar, an Iranian lute, is Mr Rajabian's main instrument. He said on Facebook the album was about the "absurdity" of the Iran-Iraq war. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard then shut down his studio, banned the album and confiscated all hard drives that contained album tracks. His music label, Barg Music, was also shut down.
He then spent three months in solitary confinement in Evin jail.
The second time he was arrested, he was in held in the prison for two years for charges relating to “illegal art”.
Speaking of his third arrest to The National from his home in Sari, northern Iran, he said: "I went to court with the police and handcuffs. The judge told me the charges of publishing a woman singing and a woman dancing in my latest project, which, authorities say, causes society to go into prostitution."
The musician was interrogated by police and detained for several hours but his family posted his bail until his pending trial. He is now under house arrest and has been told if he plays any music or engages in any other creative activity or leaves the house, he will be returned to jail.
The horrors of being in jail are still fresh in Mr Rajabian's memory. In 2016 when he was held in Evin, circumstances got so desperate he went on hunger strike for 40 days. This led to him becoming critically ill with gastric disease and muscle weakness. Eventually a hospital had to send a letter to the jail stating he was no longer well enough to be behind bars.
No date has been set for his trial, but he insists his music will always carry a philosophy of freedom.
“I need women singing in my project; I need female dance along with philosophy and thinking. Whenever I feel the need to produce this music, I will definitely produce it. I do not censor myself.”
But the regime has made it near impossible for Mr Rajabian to make that music. His work cannot be published or sold in Iran and other musicians are forbidden to collaborate with him. Many are even afraid to talk to him, he said.
“Of course, I am forbidden to leave Iran; my record label’s office is also sealed. I am only at home and I caused my whole family to be in trouble,” he said.
Because his label is banned, his last album had to be released on an international one: Sony Music.
Mr Rajabian said that being put under house arrest was “as if I had been transferred from a smaller prison to a larger one”. He says he is experiencing “complete prohibition” and “coronavirus days are normal days” for him.
“The Iranian regime hates me. They all banned me from working and studying and leaving Iran. Now the pressure is on me not to even produce another work of art. It is akin to complete death.”
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How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now
Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.
The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.
1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):
a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33
b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.
2. For those who have worked more than five years
c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.
Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.
SPECS
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Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
Where can I submit a sample?
Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.
Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:
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- Al Towayya in Al Ain
- NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City
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India (playing XI): Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami
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THREE
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Moving%20Out%202
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Spring break will be from March 8 - 19
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Staff will be trained in distance learning programmes from March 15 - 19
Teaching hours will be 8am to 2pm during distance learning
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Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Power: 843hp at N/A rpm
Torque: 1470Nm N/A rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.6L/100km
On sale: October to December
Price: From Dh875,000 (estimate)
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- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
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The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont
Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
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Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
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4. Lando Norris (McLaren) 46.466s
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Rating: 1/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
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More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
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