Celebrity chef is arrested in Iran for posting a recipe for roast cutlets on the third anniversary of General Suleimani’s death – seen as a reference to the regime tyrant being blown up by US drone
- Instagram chef Navab Ebrahimi has been detained by Iranian authorities
- Ebrahimi posted a recipe for cutlets on the anniversary of Soleimani’s death
- Some opposed to the regime posted images of the minced meat patties on social media on the anniversary of his death in reference to him being blown up
Iran has detained a prominent chef and influencer after he posted a recipe for Persian cutlets on the anniversary of the death of Qasem Soleimani, human rights groups and supporters said.
Navab Ebrahimi was arrested in the capital Tehran on Wednesday where he was taken to the city’s Evin Prison, the Human Rights Activists News Agency said.
No official reason was given for his arrest but followers had noticed that Ebrahimi had posted a recipe for Persian cutlets on the day marking Soleimani’s death.
Some opposed to the Iranian regime have previously posted images of the minced meat patties to social media on the anniversary of Suleimani’s death in reference to how the regime’s military commander was blown up and killed in 2020 by a US drone strike.
Navab Ebrahimi was arrested in the capital Tehran on Wednesday where he was taken to the city’s Evin Prison, the Human Rights Activists News Agency said
Qasem Soleimani was the commander of Iran’s Quds Force, an elite clandestine wing of of Iran’s military, and the country’s most powerful general.
He was killed at Baghdad airport three years ago in an air strike ordered by former US president Donald Trump.
Celebrity chef Navab Ebrahimi is known in Iran for his videos promoting Persian cooking, with some 2.7million followers on Instagram and hundreds of thousands of people watching his YouTube channel.
Since his arrest, Ebrahimi’s main Instagram account is no longer accessible.
His arrest comes as the Iranian regime continues its crackdown on nationwide protests.
Evin Prison in Tehran where he was taken to is known for its housing of the regime’s political prisoners.
Celebrity chef Navab Ebrahimi is known in Iran for his videos promoting Persian cooking, with some 2.7million followers on Instagram
Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani is pictured in Tehran, Iran, September 2016
The Center for Human Rights in Iran, which is based in New York, said: ‘Chef and influencer Navab Ebrahimi has been arrested in Tehran.
‘Social media users speculate that his arrest had something to do with his Instagram story.’
Nik Yousefi, an Iranian film-maker and photographer who was arrested in October as part of the crackdown before his release, wrote on Twitter that Ebrahimi had been arrested and his cafe in Tehran had been shut down.
With Iranian authorities organising events to commemorate the death of Suleimani this week, critics of the regime also took to social media to share images of people setting fire to pictures of the former Quds Force commander.
In a commemoration ceremony in capital Tehran on Tuesday, officials and regime clerics gathered to mark the third anniversary of his death. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi delivered a speech addressing those who had gathered.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi addresses a ceremony marking the anniversary of the death of Qassem Soleimani, Tehran, Iran, January 3, 2023
Iran has arrested at least 14,000 people in the wave of protests sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, according to the UN.
Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman had been arrested for allegedly breaching the strict dress code for women in September last year.
Prominent journalists, film-makers, lawyers and activists have been arrested. Some have been released on bail but others still remain in prison.
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