Jailed Iranian musician's social media activities belie French claims against him

By Ivan Kesic

It's been more than two weeks since Bashir Biazar, an acclaimed Iranian musician and filmmaker, was arrested and imprisoned in France over charges widely described as politically motivated.

In a chargesheet filed by the French interior ministry, a copy of which is in the possession of Press TV, Biazar is accused of “Iranian propaganda,” “anti-Zionism and anti-Americanism,” “hateful social media posts,” being a “vector of hatred,” and posing a “threat to public order in France.”

Human rights activists, officials, and Biazar’s family and friends have categorically rejected the charges as baseless and driven by the French government’s political motives against the Islamic Republic.

A detailed examination of the charges and Biazar’s social media activities, especially in recent months, makes it clear that the case against him is not based on merit but is politically motivated.

Born and raised in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Biazar is an independent music composer and filmmaker internationally acclaimed for his work.

He has previously served as managing director of the New Horizon Institute of Arts and Culture and was the secretary of the London-based Islamic Student Association.

For many years, he also worked as a production manager at the Music and Song Department of IRIB, Iran’s state broadcaster, and was behind many acclaimed works produced by the organization.

French indictment against Biazar

The French interior ministry accuses Biazar of disseminating alleged Iranian "state propaganda" and promoting “anti-Zionism and anti-Americanism,” which they view as "political-religious interference."

It also claims that Biazar has "an operational mission to act against Iranian opponents, Jewish, and Israeli targets," in France and thus represents "a threat to the country's integrity and security, as well as its international relations."

The most serious accusations are that he "incites terrorism with hatred," is involved in "hateful posts on social networks,” “supports Hamas and Hezbollah," and "smears France."

French authorities further describe Biazar as "a vector of hatred that seriously threatens public order and fundamental interests of the state," recommending his expulsion from the country.

His case is cited as “an absolute emergency,” with France believing that his "hostile activities" are damaging the international situation, likely fueling tension, hatred, and violence between communities in the country.

Le Point, a major French weekly political news magazine, recently reported that the ministerial expulsion order was signed on May 22, two weeks before his arrest and imprisonment.

A French court reportedly ordered Biazar to leave the country within 28 days, but French police have not released him, providing no explanation for the continued detention.

False accusations of undermining France

Since his arrest, many commentators, officials, and Biazar's family and associates have condemned the French indictment and charges against him, terming them baseless and politically motivated.

A close examination of his activities on various social media networks, particularly the X platform (formerly Twitter), reveals the unfounded nature of the charges leveled against him.

Biazar used X for 13 years before his profile was deleted in 2022 "without explanation, warning, and reason." After that, he created another account on X where he is active now.

He has also been using Instagram to a much lesser extent, leaving only 43 posts on the network.

Instagram, a Meta-affiliated network, has strict rules against pro-Palestinian resistance movements, leading to many pro-Palestine voices being blocked or suspended.

The fact that Biazar's profile was not deleted or suspended proves he has not broken any rules.

All his social media posts, comments, and tags—whether on X or Instagram—are written in Persian, indicating they are not intended for a French audience.

According to Press TV analysis and examination of his social media activities, no French person follows him, and no French citizen has ever interacted with his posts.

His social media activities, like millions of pro-Palestine advocates around the world, including in France, have primarily focused on the unfolding Israeli genocide in Gaza since October last year.

Voice against Gaza genocide

Biazar, like other conscientious pro-Palestine campaigners, has raised his voice against the Israeli genocide in Gaza, which has claimed the lives of 37,400 Palestinians, most of them children and women.

The pinned post on Biazar’s X handle features a video of him addressing a United Nations session on anti-Iran sanctions, Israeli actions in Gaza, and the world body’s passivity.

“The Zionists have never been so alone, hated, defeated, and humiliated,” he wrote in the tweet.

In a tweet on May 28, Biazar criticized the silence of French President Emmanuel Macron, CNN, and the BBC on Israeli crimes in Gaza, particularly the massacre in southern Gaza’s Rafah refugee camp.

He also posted about anti-Iran elements in London, holding an Israeli flag, and harassing an Iranian woman who was heading to a memorial ceremony.

Some of his tweets showed the massive gathering in different Iranian cities paying tribute to late Iranian president Ebrahim Raeisi and his companions martyred in a helicopter crash.

But, most of his social media activities in recent months were wholly concentrated on the Israeli genocide in Gaza and the Western silence and complicity in it.

In a tweet on May 9, he shared a video clip of the Piers Morgan show in which an Israeli regime spokesman was not able to defend the crimes of the regime against Palestinians.

On October 27, 2023, he criticized the French police's decision to cancel a permit for a public gathering in support of the Palestinian people and declare it illegal.

Some of his tweets were also dedicated to the US campus movement and police violence against students, like millions of other netizens tweeting about the same.

Biazar commented on French internal security affairs only once, on May 10, comparing adolescent violence during anti-government protests in France to West-backed Iranian riots.

Biazar stated that controlling teenagers during social unrest is the primary responsibility of their parents, aligning with the French Ministry of Justice's decision last July.

French Minister of Justice Eric Dupond-Moretti said parents who neglect their children under 17 and leave them out at night could face two years in prison and a fine of 30,000 euros.

Biazar emphasized that just two days after this statement, the protests over the police killing of Nahel Merzouk were extinguished completely.

False accusations about resistance movements

Since the Israeli genocide on Gaza began on October 7 last year, Biazar has posted hundreds of tweets about Palestine, the suffering of Palestinians, and criticism of the Israeli regime and Western governments' indifference, similar to what many French and Western citizens do regularly.

Among these tweets, only nine have mentioned the Gaza-based resistance movement Hamas, all in Persian. Seven were replies to other comments, achieving limited reach.

The two direct tweets commented on videos of Khaled Mashal and Israeli military commander Gadi Eisenkot discussing the impact of Hamas operations.

In reply comments, Biazar criticized media manipulations about Hamas and mentioned their operations' goals. He stated that Hamas operates in the occupied territories according to UN resolutions and noted the scale of Israeli brutality in Gaza.

Biazar has not commented on Hezbollah in recent months, except for a single comment on a speech by its leader, Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, criticizing media manipulation of his words.

He has never published material that could indirectly link him to the charges, such as videos of Palestinian resistance groups' military operations.

#FreeBashir campaign growing louder

The campaign to release Biazar from French captivity has been growing louder and bigger in recent days, with many journalists, activists, artists, and academics joining it.

Richard Medhurst, a British journalist, called his arrest and imprisonment “outrageous” in a post on X.

“French police summoned an Iranian musician on June 4 with no explanation, immediately arrested him for 'supporting terrorism,' and drove him 100 km to a camp meant for illegal immigrants. This is purely political and ridiculous,” wrote Medhurst.

Ramy Abdu, the chairman of Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, shared an article on X stating that Biazar “has been languishing in a French prison for almost two weeks following his arbitrary arrest for pro-Palestinian activism.”

Tim Anderson, an Australian academic and writer, said the Macron regime in France has jailed the Iranian musician “for pro-Palestinian activism.”

Marwa Osman, a Lebanese journalist and TV host, asked if Macron had taken the Iranian national “hostage” to “release his agents whom he sent to spy on Iran in 2022.”

“This is how #France is going to play it now? Well, I'd say this is one risky game Macron is playing. Because you know, two can play the same game...always,” she wrote on X.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk