TEHRAN: Iranian pop singer Mehdi Yarrahi has been sentenced to prison and 74 lashes by an Iranian court for releasing a song that criticized the mandatory headscarf for women, according to his lawyer Zahra Minouei.
Yarrahi, aged 42, was arrested in August on charges of distributing an “illegal song” that was deemed to challenge the “morals and customs of Islamic society.” The Tehran Revolutionary Court has handed down a total of two years and eight months in prison for multiple charges.
Minouei explained that, under Iranian law, the jail sentences would run concurrently, resulting in Yarrahi serving one year behind bars. The singer had released the track titled “Roosarito” (Your Headscarf in Persian).
In the three-minute video accompanying the release of “Roosarito,” Yarrahi expressed support for women’s right to choose whether or not to wear the headscarf.
Mehdi Yarrahi, a previous winner of the best pop singer award at the Fajr Festival, is known for his song “Soroode Zan” (Women’s Anthem), released in October 2022.
