Iran goes after pop singer for anti-headscarf tune

Authorities in Iran have begun legal proceedings against a prominent pop singer over his latest song urging women to take off their mandatory headscarves, the judiciary says.

The action against Mehdi Yarrahi comes almost a year after the death in custody of Iranian Kurd Mahsa Amini, 22, triggered months of protests around the country.

Amini had been arrested for alleged breach of the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code requiring that a woman’s head and neck be covered.

روسریتو…
تقدیم به زنان آزاده‌ی سرزمینم که در خط اوّل جنبش "زن زندگی آزادی" دلیرانه می‌درخشند.#روسریتو#زن_زندگی_آزادی #مهسا_امینی pic.twitter.com/WONiD3eLbB

— Mehdi Yarrahi (@yarrahimehdi) August 25, 2023

Yarrahi, 41, on Friday released a song called “Roosarito,” which means “Your Headscarf” in Persian, expressing support for last year’s protest movement.

“A legal case was filed against Mehdi Yarrahi following the release of an illegal song which defies the morals and customs of the Islamic society,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online website says.

It was not immediately clear what the formal charges were. Yarrahi was not in custody.