From the Liveblog of
Monday, August 28, 2023
Iran arrests singer for song encouraging veil removal
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleIranian police arrest pop singer Mehdi Yarrahi for releasing a song against women’s compulsory wearing of the veil, the judiciary says.
A day earlier, the judiciary’s Mizan Online website announced that a “legal case” had been filed against Yarrahi “following the release of an illegal song which defies the morals and customs of the Islamic society.”
The singer has now been “arrested by order of the Tehran prosecutor,” Mizan Online says.
The action comes almost a year after the September 16 death in custody of Iranian Kurd Mahsa Amini, 22, triggered months of protests around the country.
Amini had been detained for an alleged breach of the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code requiring that a woman’s head and neck be covered.
Yarrahi was defiant after the announcement of the “legal case.”
“Don’t cry, I am the nightmare of this judge,” he says in a message posted on X, formerly Twitter, adding that “let’s continuously talk about the anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s murder.”
Iranian singer-songwriter Mehdi Yarrahi faces a legal case over his song performance, which judicial authorities have deemed "inconsistent with the values and norms of Islamic society."#Iran #MehdiYarrahi pic.twitter.com/97uU2RJkQy
— HRANA English (@HRANA_English) August 28, 2023
The Times of Israel Community.