Members of a musical group in Iran that recently performed in front of the grave of a protester slain last year amid a brutal crackdown on antiestablishment demonstrations have issued public apologies after allegedly facing pressure from the country's security forces.
The performance by the musical group Sadat Niaki Tribe took place on July 28 in the northern city of Amol at the gravesite of Ghazaleh Chalabi. The 32-year-old woman was allegedly fatally shot by security forces during protests in Amol on September 21.
While she was hospitalized and in a coma, RFE/RL's Radio Farda has reported, her family was pressured by city officials and by members of Iran's security forces to remain silent about the incident.
Video of the musical performance at Chalabi's gravesite was widely distributed on social media and characterized as a tribute to the protester and others killed while demonstrating in Amol. They were among the at least 500 killed amid the street protests that erupted across the country following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in Tehran following her arrest for an alleged violation of Iran's strict mandatory head-scarf law.
During the performance of a traditional song set to lyrics about patriotic youths in Iran, many of the members of Sadat Niaki Tribe were seen wearing white in what was seen as a symbol of solidarity with victims of the "Women, Life, Freedom" protests that followed Amini's death.
But within days of the performance, four members of Sadat Niaki Tribe posted videos on the group's Instagram page in which they apologized and said that their intention had been misrepresented in social media posts. They said their performance was only to mark Ashura, which is Shi'a Islam's holiest day and commemorates the killing of Imam Hussein, a revered figure. Ashura is celebrated on the 10th day of the month Muharram, which this year was on July 28.
“Regarding the false news that has been circulated, there was no prior intention or purpose,” said Mojtaba Sehatnejad Niaki, the media director of the Niaki Sadat Tribe, in one of the videos.
“A number of profit-driven individuals and opposing groups, blinded by their bias, who have no desire to see the peace of the people of the Islamic republic, carried out malicious and mischievous actions,” he said in an apparent reference to groups and individuals who published videos of the performance.
“I condemn their actions as there was no prior intent or purpose. Both myself and all members of our tribe spare nothing in upholding the flag of Imam Hussein and preserving the Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist [Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei]. We are ready to dedicate our lives to this country.”
Sources close to Sadat Niaki Tribe who are familiar with the situation told RFE/RL on condition of anonymity out of concerns for their safety that the videos were made after the performers were summoned by security forces and were filmed in the presence of officers.
Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the director of the Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights, told RFE/RL upon viewing the videos that they served as a reminder of "statements made under pressure."
"Unfortunately, forced televised confessions or statements are not uncommon in the Islamic Republic," said Amiry-Moghaddam, whose organization documents executions, rights violations, and the systematic crackdown on human-rights defenders in Iran.
'A Disgusting Practice'
Iran has come under frequent criticism for airing forced confessions of protesters during court trials related to the protests that followed Amini's death.
"In recent months the Islamic republic has even broadcast forced statements by parents who have lost their loved ones during the protests," Amiry-Moghaddam said in written comments, adding that it is "a disgusting practice that doesn't have any effect on the public anymore."
Chalabi was one of 14 protesters who were killed during demonstrations on September 21 in Mazandaran Province, where Amol is located. Chalabi, like tens of thousands of other Iranians, had joined the protests to voice her anger over Amini's death. A video she was taking of the demonstrations in Amol showed her calling on people not to be afraid just before she was shot.
A large wall was constructed around her gravesite after it became a gathering place for supporters of the protests who met to honor her memory.
Chalabi's mother, Fatemeh Mojtabai, said in a post on Instagram that even if the authorities built something as formidable as the Berlin Wall it would not stop people from coming to her gravesite.
Mojtabai was also present at her daughter's grave during the performance by members of Sadat Niaki Tribe. After learning of the apologies posted by members of the group, she responded on Instagram by saying: "What mattered was the valuable work you did, the rest doesn't matter."
Slain protesters were honored on Ashura this year in cities across the country, as well as on social media.
In Qazvin, a city located west of Tehran, a singer who mentioned Amini during a Muharram mourning ceremony was arrested on August 3 and accused of disturbing the peace, as well as "providing fodder for the ‘anti-revolutionary' media."