Saeed Shakiba: Tehran prosecutor's office opens case against satirist over Khamenei voice impression

Tehran's prosecutor's office has opened a judicial case against Saeed Shakiba, a voice-over artist, blogger and satirist, for publishing a video in which he imitates the voice of Ali Khamenei. Mr Shakiba posted the video on Instagram on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, and less than 24 hours later a criminal complaint was filed against him.

On Wednesday, 14 October, the Islamic Republic's judiciary described the content of the video as "insulting and abusive" and said he had been "dealt with appropriately", without saying what that meant. The charges against him and the details of the case have not been announced, and there is no news of his current situation.

Saeed Shakiba's Instagram page blocked

On Wednesday evening, all posts on Mr Shakiba's Instagram page were deleted. All that remains on the page is a notice bearing the logo of FARAJA, the Islamic Republic's police, saying the page has been made inaccessible until further notice on a judicial order because of "criminal content".

In his satirical videos, Saeed Shakiba imitates the voices of well-known figures. After the video appeared, media affiliated with the IRGC accused him of insulting Khamenei and his family, and reminded readers that he had earlier supported the fallen of the Dey uprising, an uprising these outlets call a "coup". A number of the government's supporters had also demanded action against him in the comments under his video.

Censorship of satire and of cyberspace

The case against Saeed Shakiba follows a wave of crackdowns on Instagram users and pages. A few days ago, FARAJA seized the Instagram page of a goldsmith's shop on the pretext of "inappropriate content". This same week, the Revolutionary Court prosecutor's office in Boyer-Ahmad summoned six civil activists in Yasuj and Amirsalar Davoudi, a lawyer for political prisoners, was arrested. Fatemeh Mohajerani, spokeswoman for the Islamic Republic's government, also recently confirmed that internet speeds have been deliberately reduced.

In the Islamic Republic, imitating the voice of the government's former leader in a satirical video brings a judicial case and the blocking of one's page.