Iran: Five Underground Musicians and Three Political Activists Arrested

HRANA News Agency – Security forces arrested five underground musicians and three political Activists.

According to the reports by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), three political civil activists: Ayat Mehr Ali Biglu in Soufian, Eastern Azarbayjan, Sirvan Hossein Panahi in Dehgolan and Mohammad Khatibi in Tabriz, were arrested by security forces.

And also,Iranian police have arrested five members of an underground band suspected of producing music for Farsi-speaking, dissident satellite channels based in the U.S.

The semiofficial Fars news agency quotes senior police official Col. Sadeq Rezadoost as saying the band was producing songs for Los Angeles-based Iranian singers and providing videos to Farsi-speaking, dissident TV channels.

The Wednesday report says the five have been handed over to the judiciary for trial. It did not name the band.

Women-only groups are banned in Iran, and Western music is rejected as "decadent." Many Iranians turn to underground bands to get bootleg videos of foreign-based singers.

Contact with foreign-based dissident media outfits is also banned in Iran.