Pop singer Mehdi Jarrahi convicted in Iran for a song criticizing the obligation to wear a headscarf. Macron appoints Gabriel Attal (34) as the new French Prime Minister

In Iran, pop singer Mehdi Jarrahi was sentenced to prison and lashing after releasing a critical song, his lawyer said.

Her client Jarrahi was convicted at first instance of several charges “to a total of two years and eight months in prison and 74 lashes,” lawyer Sahra Minuei said on Tuesday in the online service X.

Iran’s judiciary initially arrested the 42-year-old singer in late August after he published the song “Roosarito,” which criticizes the obligation to wear a headscarf. In September, the Justice Department announced that Jarrahi was charged with “disrupting public order” and “making and distributing films that violate public morals.” After two months in the infamous Evin prison in the Iranian capital Tehran, Jarrahi was released on bail in October.

‘Roosarito’ means ‘Your headscarf’ and was published in the run-up to the anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death. The young Kurdish woman died in September 2022 after being arrested by the moral police. She accused Amini of violating Iran’s strict dress code for women.

Song for the protest movement

Hundreds of people, including dozens of security forces, were killed in the protests that broke out after Amini’s death. Thousands of protesters were arrested and authorities accused them of taking part in the “unrest” fomented by the West. In a three-minute video accompanying the release of ‘Roosarito’, Jarrahi expressed support for women’s right to choose whether or not to wear a headscarf. He dedicated the song to the “courageous Iranian women” involved in the protest movement.

Jarrahi had previously been named best pop singer at the Fajr Festival, Iran’s main Tehran-backed music event. His song “Soroode Zan” (German: Ladies’ Song) was released in October 2022 and became a protest song, especially in universities. Jarrahi has repeatedly criticized the authorities during his concerts, especially for discrimination against the people of his home province of Khuzestan. (sda/afp)