Late last year we covered a metal band from Iran called Confess, who were persecuted by Iran's Revolutionary Guard for playing anti-religious music and their choice of artistic expression.
They were charged with the death penalty but escaped their fate by arguing that they were insulting 'God' and not the prophet Muhammad specifically, but as Loudwire now reports, the duo have been re-sentenced after being granted asylum in Norway, the legal document of which reads:
Regarding the appeal of Mr. Arash Ilkhani and Mr. Nikan Khosravi, each of them have been convicted to 5 years in prison on charges of insulting the sanctity of Islam and one year in prison on charges of propaganda against the regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran, according to the set of contents, news, and received documents displaying the continuation of the activities, the court of appeals has found the allegations well-founded and precise. In the received documents, the court has convicted Mr. Nikan Khosravi to two years of imprisonment for three counts of insulting the Supreme Leader and the president. He has been sentenced to 6 months of imprisonment and 74 lashes for allegedly disturbing public opinion through the production of music containing anti-regime lyrics and insulting content and for participating in interviews with the opposition media. The accusation of attempting to leave the country has also been confirmed by the court. In this regard, Mr. Khosravi has been convicted to 4 years of imprisonment. Regarding Mr. Arash Ilkhani, the appeals court, by reviewing the contents of the case and considering his role in the production of content in the music group named “Confess” and his inactivity in the group during the trial, suspended 4 years from his 6 years of imprisonment and confirmed 2 years of his conviction.
The court declares this statement to reject the request of an appeal. This is the definitive vote.
Frontman Khrosavi has been sentenced to 12 and a half years behind bars with an additional 74 lashes, while Ilkhani has been sentenced to two years.
Confess have released a furious new song called 'EVIN' in response to the sentencing, which you can check out below:
