Iran's Culture Minister on Sunday expressed concern over the rising popularity of South Korean music among Iranian youth. "Where did we go wrong, and where are we going wrong, that we are changing Iran's musical taste in this way?" Abbas Salehi said.
K-Pop, or Korean popular music, has become a global cultural phenomenon in recent years, captivating audiences worldwide with its distinctive blend of catchy pop melodies, synchronized choreography, and high-production-value music videos.
The influence of K-Pop has also extended to Iran, where it has garnered a substantial and enthusiastic following among young people.
Despite the Islamic Republic’s restrictions on Western media and music, K-Pop has found a foothold through online platforms and social media. Iranian youth have embraced not only the music itself but also aspects of Korean culture, such as language, fashion, and entertainment.
This burgeoning interest has led to the development of dedicated online spaces, including websites and social media groups, where Iranian K-Pop fans can connect, share their passion, and stay updated on the latest news and trends.
In a letter issued on Saturday, the signatories condemned the death sentences of Pakhshan Azizi, Behrouz Ehsani, and Mehdi Hassani, currently held in Evin Prison, urging society to take urgent action to prevent their execution.
“While the ruling political system in Iran continues its crisis-inducing domestic and foreign policies, it seeks solutions through intensified repression in social, political, and cultural spheres,” read the letter.
The political prisoners emphasized that the Iranian government is escalating executions as a tool of control, particularly targeting political dissidents amid growing protest movements.
The letter called the death penalty "state-sponsored premeditated murder" and demanded its total abolition. It also highlighted the stark reality that over 1,000 executions have taken place in Iran in 2024 alone, with the country now responsible for nearly 75% of all global executions this year.
"This is not just a statistic but a method of silencing the oppressed," the prisoners wrote.
Amir Raisian, a defense attorney, confirmed on Wednesday that the death sentence of Pakhshan Azizi had been upheld by Iran's Supreme Court despite what he called numerous procedural flaws in the case. Azizi's brother, Aso Azizi, added that her case had been forwarded to the execution unit.
The Supreme Court also upheld the death sentences of Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani on the same day, according to reports from HRANA, a human rights monitoring group.
Fear of growing protest movements
The letter’s signatories warned that the increasing use of executions is part of a broader strategy to stifle dissent.
"The regime, worried about the emergence of new protest movements, is attempting to maintain an atmosphere of fear and terror in society," they wrote.
In response to the sharp rise in executions, protests have erupted both domestically and internationally, with global human rights organizations calling for immediate action.
The issue has become more urgent amid the ongoing hunger strikes by prisoners in the "No to Executions Tuesdays" campaign, which entered its 50th week on January 7. Initially launched in February 2024, the campaign has spread to 30 prisons across Iran, demanding a halt to executions.
On January 6, HRANA reported that 54 prisoners across the country now face execution on political or security-related charges, a significant rise from 33 in February 2024. This increase underscores the growing crackdown on dissent, with at least 21 new individuals added to the list of political prisoners facing death sentences in the past year.
A call for action from inside Evin
Sepideh Gholian, a political prisoner held in Evin Prison’s women’s ward, also reacted strongly to the Supreme Court’s confirmation of Azizi’s death sentence. In a letter obtained by Iran International, Gholian called on people to form a "chain of life to combat the regime's culture of death."
She described the atmosphere as war-like, saying that prisoners are living in constant fear of execution.
"Behind these tall walls and barbed wires, we are women who whisper the names of those sentenced to death every day," Gholian wrote. "The death sentence of Pakhshan Azizi, a woman who once protected war-stricken children, has been confirmed."
Azizi, a Kurdish social worker, was arrested in Tehran on August 4, 2023. After enduring nearly five months of solitary confinement and torture, she was transferred to Evin Prison’s women’s ward in December. In July, Azizi was sentenced to death by Judge Iman Afshari of Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court for charges of "rebellion" (Baghi). The Supreme Court upheld her sentence on January 8, and her case is now in the hands of the execution unit, her family confirmed.
Azizi's case has drawn widespread attention to the Islamic Republic’s practice of using the death penalty to suppress political activism and dissent. International human rights groups continue to demand her release and the abolition of capital punishment in Iran.
