Iranian authorities have announced the arrest of Serin Kurtis "Badi'i," a well-known figure on Instagram referred to as "Prince Serin," on charges of "assaulting sacred matters," according to the judicial authority's news agency "Mizan." This arrest follows Serin's unexpected return from the United States to Iran, despite his previous opposition to the Iranian regime.
A few days ago, Serin announced in a video his return to Iran, documenting some clips, only to be arrested later in the city of Karaj, the capital of Alborz Province in northern Iran. The director of the Mizan agency, Mehdi Kasht Dar, described "Prince Serin" as "a person who has assaulted sacred matters," announcing his arrest in Karaj. Kasht Dar stated, "He has been charged, and a temporary arrest order has been issued against him; he has been imprisoned until the investigations into his case are completed."
Some Iranian media outlets report that "Badi'i" was born in 1973 and is the son of Colonel Jalal Badi'i, a senior soldier in the Iranian army before the 1979 Revolution and head of the notorious intelligence forces known as "SAVAK" in the city of Qom, whose father was executed at the beginning of the revolution.
"Prince Serin" resides in the United States and has become known in recent years for his controversial clips about Islam, Shia beliefs, and the Iranian regime. He claims to be the legitimate heir to the rule of the Qajar dynasty, which ruled Iran for over two centuries before being overthrown by the Pahlavi dynasty in 1925.
Social media users reacted to the news of "Prince Serin's" arrest, predicting a harsher sentence due to his past stances against the regime in Iran. Supporters of the Iranian government welcomed his arrest on social media, calling for severe punishments against him. One cleric, named Mohammad Mahdi Mosleh, tweeted on the platform "X": "He has attacked sacred matters... he should be thrown into bags (death)." Meanwhile, another user named "Sadaf" demanded the execution of "Prince Serin" due to his "insult to Muslims."
