Freed! Iranian comic arrested for mocking murderous regime
Zainab Mousavi is back home after a month behind bars
The Iranian comedian arrested after speaking out against the regime has been released after a month in jail, according to reports.
Zainab Mousavi, 33, was arrested at her father’s home in the holy city of Qom in October after commenting on the death of 16-year-old Nika Shakaram in custody.
Mousavi has almost 900,000 followers on Instagram, where she appears as the Empress of Kuzcoo – a parody of an old villager who wears a hijab that reveals only her nose (pictured, inset). She is also a stand-up who has appeared on the Iranian TV show Khandevaneh.
Fellow Iranian comic Madhi Davoudii reported the news of her release on social media, sharing her statement that she is recovering at home with her family. He said he was passing on the news as she had been locked out of her social media accounts and had been left with no money.
In the statement, Mousavi explained that she had been released on bail, and was having strange dreams. ‘Time in prison and solitary confinement is long and you want to sleep as much as possible,’ she said.
She added that ‘someone had left a comment that our Empress didn't have any underlying illness or depression, nor did she want to commit suicide – while I [actually] had three of them. But I'm still alive, and that means I'm super happy…’
It was a video on that topic that led to Mousavi’s arrest in the first place, mocking the Iranian government’s claims that teenage protester Shakaram had taken her own life. In the guise of her alter-ego, the comedian released a dark comedy sketch about how women should kill themselves before the regime does it for them.
Iranian-American comedian Sarah Fatemi also shared the news on her Instagram account adding: ‘In the meantime, there are still 15,000 protestors at risk of the death penalty. Sign the link in my bio to stop executions in Iran. And please continue to share what’s going on in Iran and be the voice of the Iranian people’
Iran has been in turmoil since another protester, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, died in police custody following her arrest for not wearing the hijab. It death sparked protests across the country, with at least 200 people, including eight children, killed by security forces, according to human rights watchers. And the regime recently announced mass public trials for the thousands of protesters it has arrested since.
Earlier this week campaign group Iran Human Rights reported that one protester has now been sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court, and suggested that the authorities may be planning hasty executions. At least 20 protesters are currently facing charges punishable by death according to official reports.
The group’s director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said: ‘The international community must strongly warn the Islamic Republic of the consequences of executing protesters.’
And Hadi Ghaemi of the Centre For Human Rights In Iran added: ‘The international community must be clear with Islamic Republic authorities that death sentences for protesters will result in an extraordinary intensification of the Islamic Republic’s political and economic isolation
‘Issuing death sentences against the protesters—after the Iranian authorities have unlawfully arrested tens of thousands of peaceful protesters and killed hundreds through the indiscriminate use of lethal force to squash the protests—is a blatant attempt to terrorise the Iranian people into silence; it will cement the Islamic Republic’s status as an outlaw state that has no regard for law or life.’
Mousavi has often been threatened because of her comedy, saying in one online video posted in 2017: 'I get threats to be attacked by acid, or they want to run me over, or do harm to me, I get sworn at... I’m under pressure.’
And in an interview with The Guardian, she said: ‘Considering Iranian cultural and social norms, doing stand-up here is by itself really difficult, and doing it as a female comedian is even harder. Being a female stand-up comedian in Iran is like competing in a swimming competition whilst you are three metres behind the starting line and your hands and legs are tied.’
Published: 16 Nov 2022
