Vafa Ahmadpour, the protest rapper known by his stage name Vafadar, has been summoned to the Evin Court for an arraignment hearing, facing charges of “propaganda against the regime,” “disseminating false information,” and “disturbing public opinion.”

The court has cited “publishing a song in support of the nationwide protests in 2022” as an example of the aforementioned charges.
Notably, the court dropped the charges of “assembly and collusion against national security” citing insufficient evidence.

Ahmadpour was arrested on February 4, 2024, by security forces at his residence and was held in detention for over 15 days before being released on bail from Evin prison.

During his detention period, PEN America issued a statement condemning Ahmadpour’s arrest and urged for his immediate release.