Vafa Ahmadpour

Last updated
Vafa Ahmadpour Damanab
Also known asVafadar
Born1983
Iran
Genres
Occupation
  • Singer
DiscographySongs:
    • "We Protest"
    • "Barefooted"
    • "Renaissance"
    • "Black Life"
    • "Free"
    • "Standby"
Years active2006–present

Vafa Ahmadpour, known by his stage name Vafadar, is a rapper from Iran. [1] [2] [3] Vafadar began his artistic career in rap music in 2006. [1] [4] [5] [6] He and Danial Moghadam, protest rap artists, have voiced the crises and struggles faced by the Iranian people. [7] [8]

Contents

Personal life

Despite being active in music since 2006, Vafa makes a living as a laborer. [9] [10] Due to threats from Iranian authorities over his protest songs, he lived in hiding for a while. [4]

Arrest

Vafadar's politically charged music led to his summons to court. [1] [11] After the 2022 Iranian protests, he went into hiding for a year. Security forces found his phone number, called him, and summoned him to court. Since a phone summons is not legally valid, he did not attend. In response, intelligence officers visited his former workplaces and raided his home, taking his family hostage to coerce him to surrender. On the night of February 4, 2024, Vafa decided to turn himself in for his family's sake. [9] [10] [12] He was arrested in Tehran and transferred to an undisclosed location. [13] [14] PEN America strongly condemned his arbitrary arrest and called for his immediate release. [2] On February 19, 2024, he was temporarily released from Evin prison on bail until his court hearing. [15] Following the hearing, he was sentenced to one year in prison for propaganda against the state. [16]

On Thursday, May 9, 2024, Vafa Ahmadpour and Danial Moghaddam were arrested in Shiraz following the release of the music video for "Amadebash," which addresses the repression of the 2021 uprising and criticizes the Islamic Republic, as well as the demographic challenges and issues facing the people of Iran. The video for "Amadebash" was filmed at Persepolis (Takht-e Jamshid). In the song, they address problems such as economic difficulties and the "morality police" (Gasht-e Ershad), stating that "the people of Iran" will remain united and "take over this country." [7] [17]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Vafa Ahmadpour, a protest rapper, has been arrested". Hengaw (in Kurdish (Arabic script)). Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  2. 1 2 "PEN America condemns the arrest of Vafadar, an Iranian protest rapper". Radio Farda. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  3. ↑ "PEN America condemns the arrest of Vafadar, a protest rapper". HRANA (in Persian). 2024-02-07. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  4. 1 2 "Vafa Ahmadpour Damanab, a protest rapper known as "Vafadar," has been arrested". Campaign to Defend Political and Civil Prisoners (in Persian). 2024-02-05. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  5. ↑ "Arrested rapper Vafa Ahmadpour: "I'm not worried about myself; it's for Iran's sake"". Voice of America (in Persian). 2024-02-06. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  6. ↑ "Vafa Ahmadpour Arrested". Independent Persian (in Persian). Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  7. 1 2 "Protest rappers Vafa Ahmadpour and Danial Moghadam arrested in Shiraz". Voice of America (in Persian). 2024-05-09. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
  8. ↑ "Iranian Rapper Vafadar Sentenced to One Year in Jail for 'Propaganda'". iranwire.com. Retrieved 2024-12-25.
  9. 1 2 "Arrested rapper Vafa Ahmadpour: "I'm not worried about myself; it's for Iran's sake"". Voice of America. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  10. 1 2 "The arrest of a protest rapper and other news..." Radio Zamaneh (in Persian). 2024-02-05. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  11. ↑ "The arrest of protest rapper Vafa Ahmadpour (Vafadar)" (in Persian). 2024-02-04.
  12. ↑ "Protest singer's family taken hostage to force his surrender". EJTem (in Persian). 2024-02-05. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  13. ↑ "Protest rapper Vafa Ahmadpour arrested in Tehran". Balatarin (in Persian). 2024-02-06. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  14. ↑ Asil, Miral (2024-02-05). "Iranian protest rapper Vafa Ahmadpour arrested". Fars News 24 (in Persian). Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  15. ↑ "Protest rapper Vafa Ahmadpour: "Released on bail, I will continue my activism; Long live Iran!"". Voice of America. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  16. ↑ "Protest rapper Vafadar: "Sentenced to one year in prison for propaganda against the regime"". BBC Persian (in Persian). 2024-04-24. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  17. ↑ "وفا احمدپور و دانیال مقدم، خواننده‌های معترض، بازداشت شدند" (in Persian). Radio Farda. 2024-05-10. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
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