Latest news with #RooSarito
The Independent
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Iranian singer Mehdi Yarrahi given 74 lashes over protest song urging hijab removal
Mehdi Yarrahi, an Iranian musician known for protest songs that call out his country's strict dress codes for women, was given 74 lashes as part of a punishment. His lawyer, Zahra Minuei, confirmed in a post on X that the punishment had been carried out at Branch Four of the Moral Security Prosecutor's Office in Tehran, marking the end of a criminal case against Yarrahi. 'The flogging sentence has been carried out,' she wrote, according to an online translation. Yarrahi, 42, was arrested in August 2023 and then sentenced by the Tehran Revolutionary Court to two years and eight months in prison in addition to 74 lashes. He ended up serving a year of his sentence and served out the rest of his term in house arrest with an ankle monitor after posting bail. 'We wanted to lift the bail, but they said it was conditional on the flogging sentence being carried out,' Ms Minuei said. At the time, Yarrahi had written on X: 'I am ready to receive the sentence of 74 lashes, and while I condemn this inhuman torture, I make no request to cancel it.' Yarrahi was accused of 'releasing an illegal song that is against the morals and customs of Islamic society ' following the release of his song 'Your Headscarf (Roo Sarito)' in September 2023. The song was released on the first anniversary of the 'Women, Life, Freedom' uprising, which began after the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly violating Iran 's mandatory headscarf law. 'Take off your scarf, the sun is sinking/Take off your scarf, your pleasant perfume fills the air/Take off your scarf, let your hair flow/Don't be afraid, my love! Laugh, protest against tears,' the lyrics go, according to a translation by After news of his flogging broke, Yarrahi posted a message on his social media, thanking his lawyers and writing: 'You brought glass to break our stone…Whoever is not willing to pay the price for freedom is not worthy of it.' Under Iranian law, based on Tehran's interpretation of Sharia, women and girls who have reached puberty must cover their heads with scarves and bodies with long, loose-fitting clothing. The rules were made even stricter last year after Iran's parliament passed a new 'hijab and chastity' law that would increase the prison sentence to 10 years and a fine for dressing "inappropriately" in public places. Iranian human rights activist and Nobel peace prize laureate Narges Mohammadi condemned the flogging in a statement, writing: 'The execution of Mehdi Yarrahi's flogging sentence is retaliation for his support of the women of Iran. The lashes on Mehdi's body are a whip against the proud and resilient women of Iran and the thriving, powerful spirit of the 'Woman, Life, Freedom' movement. 'On the eve of 8 March, by rejecting the 'gender privilege' in singing, Mehdi Yarrahi once again stood alongside protesting, justice-seeking women and the people in pursuit of their demands. 'May we, as women, protest the regime's brutality against a dissenting artist, strengthening the chain of solidarity and putting an end to the misogynistic religious tyranny. Mehdi Yarrahi stood against the suppression of women's voices – let us be his voice.' Actor Taraneh Alidoosti, who spent almost three weeks in jail over her support for the 2022 protests, posted in support of Yarrahi on Instagram, writing: 'Shame on backwardness, shame on torture, shame on violence, shame on anti-human laws, and shame and disgrace on our helplessness', according to an online translation. Last year in October, 23-year-old Roya Heshmati, a vocal critic of the country's controversial hijab laws, was whipped 74 times by the police for 'violating public morals' by sharing a picture in which her head was not covered. In May 2024, renowned director Mohammad Rasoulof was sentenced to eight years in prison, flogging, a fine, and the confiscation of property after the court found his films and documentaries, along with his public statements, to be 'examples of collusion with the intention of committing a crime against the security of the country'.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Yahoo
Iranian musician flogged 74 times over protest song in support of women's rights
March 6 (UPI) -- Iranian musician Mehdi Yarrahi received 74 lashes as part of his sentence a song supporing women's rights and opposes the Middle Eastern country's draconian hijab laws, his lawyer said. Yarrahi, a singer-songwriter known for his protest music, was arrested in late August 2023 and sentenced to two years and eight months in prison, with one year enforceable, along with a fine and 74 lashes. In December, Yarrahi was released after completing his one-year sentence. On Wednesday, he received the remaining 74 lashes, his lawyer, Zahra Minuei, confirmed in a Farsi-language statement. "Today ... the last part of the sentence ... was fully and completely implemented," Minuei said. "Mr. [Yarrahi's] case was closed." According to Iran activist-run Human Rights News Agency, Yarrahi was arrested on charges of spreading propaganda against the regime, encouraging corruption and depravity and producing and distributing immoral content, among others, following the release of his song, "Roo Sarito," which translates to "Your Headscarf" in English. The Tehran regime deemed the song "unlawful" and "contrary to the values and norms of Islamic society, HRANA reported following Yarrahi's arrest, citing Mizan, the news agency of Iran's judiciary. His arrest came ahead of the one-year anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman who died in police custody after being detained for violating Iran's hijab laws and beatedn. Amini's death sparked mass women-led protests, which Yarrahi supported. "You brought glass to break our stone," Yarrahi said in a statement published to his X account on Wednesday thanking Minuei and others who had supported him. "Whoever is not willing to pay the price for freedom is not worthy of it. Wishing for liberation..." Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi described Yarrahi's flogging as retaliation for his support of Iranian women. "May we, as women, protest the regime's brutality against a dissenting artist, strengthening the chain of solidarity and putting an end to the misogynistic religious tyranny," she said on X. "Mehdi Yarrahi stood against the suppression of women's voices -- let us be his voice."
The Guardian
05-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Iranian singer Mehdi Yarrahi given 74 lashes over protest song
Mehdi Yarrahi, a well-known Iranian protest singer who spoke out against the country's strict dress code for women, has been given 74 lashes as part of an agreement to end a criminal case against him. Yarrahi was initially convicted in January 2024 of acting unlawfully by releasing a protest song in September 2023 entitled Your Headscarf (Roo Sarito) on the first anniversary of the 'Women, Life, Freedom' uprising. He had also composed songs during the uprising, and has more than 1 million followers on Instagram. Yarrahi's one-year prison sentence was later converted to electronic ankle monitoring, which ended in December, leading to his release. However, the return of his 15bn toman bail, paid by a third party, was dependent on his flogging, which was carried out this week. At the time, Yarrahi wrote on X: 'I am ready to receive the sentence of 74 lashes, and while I condemn this inhuman torture, I make no request to cancel it.' The news of the lashes was shared on Wednesday by Zahra Minouei, the singer's lawyer. Minouei wrote on X on Wednesday that the last part of the sentences issued by the Tehran revolutionary court had been administered. Yarahi wrote on Instagram: 'You have brought glass to break our stone. Thank you for your constant support, dear ones, and the sincere companionship of the respected lawyers Mustafa Nili and Zahra Minoui. He who is not willing to pay for Bahá'í freedom does not deserve freedom. Wishing you freedom.' News of the medieval-style flogging caused widespread outrage on Iranian social media. Nobel peace prize laureate Narges Mohammadi wrote on Instagram: 'The execution of Mehdi Yarrahi's flogging sentence is revenge for his support for the women of Iran. The flogging on Mehdi's body is a whip on the proud, resistant women of Iran and the flourishing and powerful soul of the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement.' Masih Alinejad, a well-known US-based human rights campaigner, said: 'For every lash they strike, more women will take off their scarves. More voices will rise. And nothing will stop this revolution. To the west: negotiating human rights with barbarians won't save you. This regime is a virus, it will spread if you let it.' In 2024 at least 131 individuals were sentenced to a combined 9,957 lashes by the Iranian judiciary, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, an Iranian NGO.
