By Published On: October 13, 2020Categories: NEWS
 Iran mourns Shajarian

Condolences from (PMOI / MEK Iran), to the people of Iran, the community of artists, and Shajarian’s friends and family on the passing of one of Iran’s greatest musicians. His works and the brilliant artistic record will last forever in the precious treasure of Iran’s national art and music.

Well-known singer and musician Mohammad Reza Shajarian died last Thursday after a long battle with cancer. He is being mourned by Iranians across the country and around the world. He is known for revolutionizing the music scene in Iran.

He was also a prominent critic of the Iranian regime and although he said he did not want to get mixed up in Iranian politics, he voiced his outrage against the regime’s suppression of peaceful protesters during the uprisings in 2009.

Because of this, the regime banned him from holding concerts and from performing. He said in 2015 that he lives in a country where he is “banned from signing for my people”, after being called to participate in a ceremony to commemorate Persian poet Hafez.

During a number of interviews, Shajarian said that the regime has tried to pressure him into repenting for speaking out but affirmed that he would not give in to their demands.

Gatherings in his memory have taken place across the country, including outside the hospital in Jam where he spent his last days. Many of the people participating in the gatherings chanted anti-regime slogans and called out the state-run broadcasting body that censored Shajarian’s work. They chanted “the broadcasting organization is a disgrace”, as well as “down with Khamenei” “down with the dictator” and “dictators will die, but Shajarian will live forever”.

In the past few months, the regime has been fearful of public gatherings, worrying that they could quickly turn into huge anti-government demonstrations. It has been cracking down on gatherings, and this was the case with the memorial gatherings for Shajarian. The people were attacked as the suppressive forces tried to disperse them. But this did not deter the people who chanted “shame on you”.

Furthermore, the regime shut down internet access across the country and placed limits on bandwidth.

The regime’s suppressive forces also prevented gatherings at a cemetery in Tehran, and then at another cemetery in Mashhad where Shajarian’s body was quickly transferred to. The regime then used the pretext of COVID-19 to ban people from traveling to Mashhad.

The regime is under no illusions that such measures are angering the people, however, it cannot risk any gatherings turning into major protests against the government. Society really is restive in Iran at the moment and another uprising seems imminent.

At the beginning of the month, football supporters celebrating a win were met with teargas, highlighting just how nervous and fragile the regime is.

The regime has been using the Coronavirus pandemic as a tool to suppress the people further and to prevent outpourings of dissent. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei even went as far as to describe the health crisis as a “blessing” and an “opportunity”. Over 121,600 people have died of the coronavirus in Iran, according to reports by the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI / MEK Iran). It is truly shameful how the regime has used such a deadly tool against the people that are suffering the most.

The President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) Mrs. Maryam Rajavi spoke about Shajarian’s death, affirming that the regime is never going to be able to “undermine his status and his enormous contributions” to Iranian culture.

MEK Iran (follow them on Twitter and Facebook)

and People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran – MEK IRAN – YouTube

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