News from Civsy, based on generative AI tools and retrieval-augumented real time data search

On 29 November 2025, security forces in the Islamic Republic of Iran arrested Asmar Hamidi, a young Kurdish singer and cultural activist from the city of Maneh and Samalqan in North Khorasan Province. According to Kurdish human rights monitors, she was detained during a raid on her family home and transferred to an unknown location, with no official information released about the charges or the authority responsible for her case. Her arrest adds to the growing list of artists and cultural workers targeted in recent years for their peaceful expression, particularly in Iran’s Kurdish and other minority regions.

Local performances and digital presence
Social media posts and shared clips show that Hamidi performs Kurdish songs associated with everyday life and celebration in Khorasan, including at weddings and community gatherings, as well as in more intimate, self-recorded videos for online audiences. Her Instagram and other platforms functions both as an artistic portfolio and as a space for commentary and solidarity, which helped her gain recognition beyond her immediate locality, especially among Kurdish diaspora networks.

Targeting of cultural work and online presence
Shortly after Hamidi’s detention, her Instagram account, which she used to share music, cultural content and commentary, was blocked by the authorities, effectively erasing one of her main public platforms. Friends and activists report that she had previously been summoned and questioned by security agencies over her civil activities, participation in cultural events, and her critical views on social and political issues. This pattern suggests that her artistic and civic engagement, rather than any recognizable criminal offense, is at the core of the state’s interest in her.

Kurdish identity and gendered repression
Hamidi is part of a generation of young Kurdish artists in Khorasan who use song and performance to keep Kurdish language, traditions and identity visible in a context of long-standing state suspicion toward minority cultural expression. Being both Kurdish and a woman singer places her in a particularly vulnerable position: female vocal performance in public is heavily restricted in Iran, and women artists who gain visibility online or offline often face swift retaliation. In recent years, authorities have repeatedly cracked down on women singers by shutting down their social media pages, banning performances and, in some cases, arresting them after videos or recordings circulated widely.

Escalating pressure on artists and minorities
Her arrest comes amid a broader escalation of repression against artists, writers and cultural practitioners across Iran, especially since the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests that erupted after the death of Jina Mahsa Amini in 2022. Musicians and performers who speak to themes of injustice, gender equality or minority rights have faced intimidation, prosecution and prison sentences under vague national security and morality charges. Kurdish regions have been particularly hard hit, with security forces regularly targeting Newroz celebrations, cultural festivals and local artistic initiatives, seeing them as potential spaces of mobilization and dissent rather than legitimate cultural life.

Implications for artistic freedom
The case of Asmar Hamidi illustrates how Iran’s authorities treat independent cultural expression, especially from minorities, as a security threat rather than a right to be protected. Arresting a young singer in a home raid, concealing her whereabouts and shutting down her digital presence sends a clear message to others in her community: artistic work that carries Kurdish identity or critical content may come at the cost of liberty and safety. For artistic freedom advocates, her detention underscores the urgent need for international attention, solidarity from the cultural sector and sustained pressure on Iran to respect its obligations to protect freedom of expression, cultural rights and the safety of artists.

A young Kurdish singer and cultural activist, Asmar Hamidi, has been arrested in Iran following a raid on her family home in North Khorasan. Her whereabouts remain unknown, and her social media accounts, once a space for music, culture, and solidarity, have been blocked.

Her case reflects the growing repression of artists, women, and minority voices in Iran, especially since the Woman, Life, Freedom protests. Cultural expression should never be treated as a crime.

#ArtisticFreedom #FreedomOfExpression #Iran #KurdishVoices #WomenInMusic #HumanRights #CulturalRights #FreeAsmarHamidi #ArtistAtRisk