Iranian authorities, who have been arresting celebrities who criticized the government since the 'hijab protests', have arrested a celebrity chef this time.
According to the British daily Guardian on the 5th (local time), Persian culinary expert Nabab Ebrahimi was arrested by authorities in Tehran on the 4th and imprisoned in Evin Prison, according to the Iranian human rights movement group HRANA (Human Rights Activists News).
Ebrahimi is a chef famous for his videos of traditional Persian cooking in Iran and a social media influencer with 2.7 million Instagram followers.
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A reason for his arrest has not been confirmed, but supporters believe it has to do with his recent Instagram post of a recipe for 'kotlets', a fried Persian meatball dish.
He posted a recipe for fried meat in line with the third anniversary of the death of Iranian military powerhouse Qasem Soleimani, former commander of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards in a US airstrike.
In Iran, critics of the government often post photos of Soleimani on the day of his death, mocking Soleimani's death in an airstrike, the Guardian said.
Soleimani, one of Iran's most powerful figures, visited Iraq on January 3, 2020, when he was targeted by a US drone and exploded.
Currently, Ebrahimi's Instagram account is blocked, and the cafe he runs in Tehran is also closed.
In Iran, government repression continues, with prominent journalists, filmmakers, lawyers and activists arrested after large-scale anti-government protests in the wake of the 'suspicious death without wearing a hijab'.
The United Nations has estimated that at least 14,000 people have been arrested by Iranian authorities over a series of anti-government protests.
(Photo = Nabab Ebrahimi YouTube video capture, Yonhap News)