HRANA News Agency – The Appeal Court was hold for Mehdi Rajabian, Hossein Rajabian and Yousef Emadi, three artists, who had been sentenced together to eighteen years imprisonment in the first trial, and now they are waiting for the decision of the Court of Appeal.
According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency in Iran (HRANA), Mehdi Rajabian, Setar player and founder of the “Barge Music” media, Hossein Rajabian filmmaker and freelance photographer and Youseph Emadi, musician, attended a trial in Branch 54 of the Court of Appeal, presided by Judge Babaei, on 22^nd December.
Each of these three artists already in the preliminary court were sentenced to 6 years imprisonment and fine on charges of “propaganda against the regime” and “blasphemy”, by Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court.
An informed source told HRANA’s reporter: “The Court of First Instance lasted just for a few minutes and the presence of the lawyers did not make sense and appeal had not been allowed.”
Mehdi Rajabian, Hossein Rajabian and Yousef Emadi, were arrested in October 2013, and after more than two months in solitary confinement and interrogations in ward 2-A of the Revolutionary Guards, were released on a bail of 200 million tomans. According to an informed source, they were under pressure during interrogation to confess in a TV interview.
It is said that “Barge Mozik”, Music Leaves, (Official Found of music report) is the only media which has broadcasted Iranian alternative music and has introduced new music style and in its five years of activities (from 2008 to 2013) specifically was the publisher of over a hundred albums and thousand single songs of alternative music artists.