Iranian-Kurdish rapper Saman Yasin thought he was being released from prison when guards ordered him to pack his belongings at 5 a.m. Instead, he was blindfolded, placed under a noose, and subjected to a mock execution.
“I was under that noose for about 15 minutes, I think,” Yasin told CNN in an exclusive interview. He recalled hearing a cleric reciting the Quran over him, urging him to repent “so that you go to heaven.”
Yasin, now in Berlin, spent two years in Iranian prisons for participating in the 2022 “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests. He joined street demonstrations and recorded anti-regime songs following the death of 22-year-old Iranian-Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini, who died after being arrested for allegedly not complying with Iran’s hijab law.
The protests, met with severe government suppression, have led to over 500 deaths, including 49 women and 68 children, according to a United Nations report. CNN has not been able to independently verify the exact number of casualties due to Iran’s lack of transparency.
After enduring what he calls “severe torture” aimed at forcing a false confession, Yasin made a perilous escape from Iran and now speaks out about his experiences. His testimony sheds light on the brutal tactics used by the Iranian regime to silence dissent.
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