Latest news with #Roosarito
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Yahoo
Popular Iranian singer who urged women to go without hijab is lashed over alcohol conviction
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranian officials have flogged a popular singer who posted a song online urging women to remove their mandatory headscarves over a conviction for possessing and consuming alcohol, his lawyer and authorities said. Mehdi Yarahi was flogged on Wednesday, his lawyer Zahra Minuei wrote on the social platform X. Iran's semiofficial Fars news agency, quoting an anonymous official, said the sentence was for him drinking and having alcoholic drinks, not his music. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. The lashes were 'fully carried out in Branch 4 of the Enforcement of Sentences Office at the Tehran Morality Security Prosecutor's Office, and Mr. Mehdi Yarahi's case has been closed,' Minuei said. Yarahi wrote and performed the song 'Roosarito," Farsi for 'Your Headscarf." The music video urged women to remove their hijabs and featured uncovered women dancing. Yarahi's initial arrest in August was believed to be linked to the video, which is still available online. Yarahi wrote on X apparently after the flogging: 'He who is not willing to pay a price for freedom is not worthy of it.' On the streets of Iranian cities, it's becoming more common to see a woman passing by without a mandatory headscarf, or hijab, after the second anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini and the mass protests it sparked in 2022. Amini, 22, died on Sept. 16, 2022, in a hospital after her arrest by the country's morality police over allegedly not wearing her hijab to the liking of the authorities. The protests that followed Amini's death started first with the chant 'Women, Life, Freedom.' However, the protesters' cries soon grew into open calls of revolt against 85-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The monthslong security crackdown that followed killed more than 500 people and saw over 22,000 detained. Only Afghanistan and Iran mandate women wearing the hijab. Meanwhile, online videos showed uncovered women attending the 12th Iran Interior Design Award ceremony, as well as men and women shaking hands. The judiciary's Mizan news agency reported Thursday that prosecutors had announced legal action against all organizers, hosts and individuals seen violating Iran's laws.
The Hill
07-03-2025
- The Hill
Popular Iranian singer who urged women to go without hijab is lashed over alcohol conviction
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranian officials have flogged a popular singer who posted a song online urging women to remove their mandatory headscarves over a conviction for possessing and consuming alcohol, his lawyer and authorities said. Mehdi Yarahi was flogged on Wednesday, his lawyer Zahra Minuei wrote on the social platform X. Iran's semiofficial Fars news agency, quoting an anonymous official, said the sentence was for him drinking and having alcoholic drinks, not his music. The lashes were 'fully carried out in Branch 4 of the Enforcement of Sentences Office at the Tehran Morality Security Prosecutor's Office, and Mr. Mehdi Yarahi's case has been closed,' Minuei said. Yarahi wrote and performed the song 'Roosarito,' Farsi for 'Your Headscarf.' The music video urged women to remove their hijabs and featured uncovered women dancing. Yarahi's initial arrest in August was believed to be linked to the video, which is still available online. Yarahi wrote on X apparently after the flogging: 'He who is not willing to pay a price for freedom is not worthy of it.' On the streets of Iranian cities, it's becoming more common to see a woman passing by without a mandatory headscarf, or hijab, after the second anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini and the mass protests it sparked in 2022. Amini, 22, died on Sept. 16, 2022, in a hospital after her arrest by the country's morality police over allegedly not wearing her hijab to the liking of the authorities. The protests that followed Amini's death started first with the chant 'Women, Life, Freedom.' However, the protesters' cries soon grew into open calls of revolt against 85-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The monthslong security crackdown that followed killed more than 500 people and saw over 22,000 detained. Only Afghanistan and Iran mandate women wearing the hijab. Meanwhile, online videos showed uncovered women attending the 12th Iran Interior Design Award ceremony, as well as men and women shaking hands. The judiciary's Mizan news agency reported Thursday that prosecutors had announced legal action against all organizers, hosts and individuals seen violating Iran's laws.
Associated Press
07-03-2025
- Associated Press
Popular Iranian singer who urged women to go without hijab is lashed over alcohol conviction
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranian officials have flogged a popular singer who posted a song online urging women to remove their mandatory headscarves over a conviction for possessing and consuming alcohol, his lawyer and authorities said. Mehdi Yarahi was flogged on Wednesday, his lawyer Zahra Minuei wrote on the social platform X. Iran's semiofficial Fars news agency, quoting an anonymous official, said the sentence was for him drinking and having alcoholic drinks, not his music. The lashes were 'fully carried out in Branch 4 of the Enforcement of Sentences Office at the Tehran Morality Security Prosecutor's Office, and Mr. Mehdi Yarahi's case has been closed,' Minuei said. Yarahi wrote and performed the song 'Roosarito,' Farsi for 'Your Headscarf.' The music video urged women to remove their hijabs and featured uncovered women dancing. Yarahi's initial arrest in August was believed to be linked to the video, which is still available online. Yarahi wrote on X apparently after the flogging: 'He who is not willing to pay a price for freedom is not worthy of it.' On the streets of Iranian cities, it's becoming more common to see a woman passing by without a mandatory headscarf, or hijab, after the second anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini and the mass protests it sparked in 2022. Amini, 22, died on Sept. 16, 2022, in a hospital after her arrest by the country's morality police over allegedly not wearing her hijab to the liking of the authorities. The protests that followed Amini's death started first with the chant 'Women, Life, Freedom.' However, the protesters' cries soon grew into open calls of revolt against 85-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The monthslong security crackdown that followed killed more than 500 people and saw over 22,000 detained. Only Afghanistan and Iran mandate women wearing the hijab. Meanwhile, online videos showed uncovered women attending the 12th Iran Interior Design Award ceremony, as well as men and women shaking hands. The judiciary's Mizan news agency reported Thursday that prosecutors had announced legal action against all organizers, hosts and individuals seen violating Iran's laws.
Egypt Independent
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Egypt Independent
Iranian singer flogged 74 times after singing about hijab removal, lawyer says
CNN — Mehdi Yarrahi, an Iranian singer and musician known for his song encouraging women to remove their hijabs, was lashed 74 times as part of his punishment for supporting the protests that swept the country, his lawyer said Wednesday. The punishment was 'fully and completely implemented,' his attorney, Zahra Minoui, said in a post on X. Yarrahi, 42, was arrested in August 2023 and sentenced by the Tehran Revolutionary Court to two years and eight months in prison, as well as 74 floggings. He eventually served one year of his sentence and was fined, alongside the lashing. Yarrahi had been accused of 'releasing an illegal song that is against the morals and customs of Islamic society,' the state news agency IRNA said in 2023. Flogging is a form of beating that involves a whip or rod and is commonly administered to the person's back. He was detained four days after releasing his famous song 'Roosarito' – Farsi for 'your headscarf' – where lyrics included the lines: 'Take off your scarf, the sun is sinking. Take off your scarf, let your hair flow.' 'Don't be afraid, my love! Laugh, protest against tears,' the lyrics add. A month after Yarrahi's arrest, protests erupted throughout Iran to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old woman who died in the custody of Iran's morality police after being arrested for allegedly not wearing her headscarf properly. Rights groups have been outraged over the hijab law and the cruel ways it is enforced. In December, Amnesty International said that Iranian authorities had imposed new draconian laws against veil-wearing, including threats of 'imposing the death penalty, flogging, prison terms and other severe penalties to crush ongoing resistance to compulsory veiling.' Other artists in Iran have received floggings as part of their sentences, including acclaimed movie director Mohammad Rasoulof, who in May of last year was sentenced to eight years in prison and flogging for national security crimes, his lawyer said. In 2015, two Iranian poets faced 99 lashes each for shaking hands with people of the opposite sex. They were also both sentenced to years in prison for 'insulting the sacred' in their writings, a decision slammed by freedom of expression activists.
CNN
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Iranian singer flogged 74 times after singing about hijab removal, lawyer says
Mehdi Yarrahi, an Iranian singer and musician known for his song encouraging women to remove their hijabs, was lashed 74 times as part of his punishment for supporting the protests that swept the country, his lawyer said Wednesday. The punishment was 'fully and completely implemented,' his attorney, Zahra Minoui, said in a post on X. Yarrahi, 42, was arrested in August 2023 and sentenced by the Tehran Revolutionary Court to two years and eight months in prison, as well as 74 floggings. He eventually served one year of his sentence and was fined, alongside the lashing. Yarrahi had been accused of 'releasing an illegal song that is against the morals and customs of Islamic society,' the state news agency IRNA said in 2023. Flogging is a form of beating that involves a whip or rod and is commonly administered to the person's back. He was detained four days after releasing his famous song 'Roosarito' – Farsi for 'your headscarf' – where lyrics included the lines: 'Take off your scarf, the sun is sinking. Take off your scarf, let your hair flow.' 'Don't be afraid, my love! Laugh, protest against tears,' the lyrics add. A month after Yarrahi's arrest, protests erupted throughout Iran to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old woman who died in the custody of Iran's morality police after being arrested for allegedly not wearing her headscarf properly. Rights groups have been outraged over the hijab law and the cruel ways it is enforced. In December, Amnesty International said that Iranian authorities had imposed new draconian laws against veil-wearing, including threats of 'imposing the death penalty, flogging, prison terms and other severe penalties to crush ongoing resistance to compulsory veiling.' Other artists in Iran have received floggings as part of their sentences, including acclaimed movie director Mohammad Rasoulof, who in May of last year was sentenced to eight years in prison and flogging for national security crimes, his lawyer said. In 2015, two Iranian poets faced 99 lashes each for shaking hands with people of the opposite sex. They were also both sentenced to years in prison for 'insulting the sacred' in their writings, a decision slammed by freedom of expression activists.
