Conflicts & War

Iran sentences singer of Amini protest anthem to almost 4 years in prison

Tehran, Mar 1 (EFE).- Iranian singer Shervin Hajipour said on Friday that he was sentenced to three years and eight months in prison for his song Baraye, which was an unofficial anthem for the protests in the wake of Mahsa Amini’s death in police custody in 2022.

Hajipour said he was sentenced to three years in prison for propaganda against the system and another eight months of imprisonment for inciting riots to threaten Iran’s security in an Instagram post.

The singer did not mention when he was sentenced, but his announcement coincides with the country’s legislative elections on Friday, the first polls since the widespread protests sparked by Amini’s death after being arrested for not wearing the Islamic veil properly.

The singer was arrested in September 2022 after posting his song on Instagram. The lyrics of the song list reasons for joining the demonstration against the Iranian authorities.

“For dancing on the streets, for the fear of kissing (your lover in public), for your sister (…), for changing these rusted minds, for the shame of poverty (…),” goes the English translation of the lyrics explaining the reasons why young Iranians were taking part in the protest.

The chorus of the song “for woman, life and freedom” was a slogan that symbolized the theme of the women-led protests.

The song, viewed over 40 million times in less than two days on Instagram alone, became an unofficial anthem during the months-long protests, which were brutally suppressed by the government.

Hajipour said he was provisionally released in October and had to appear for interrogations and court sessions several times.

Baraye won Hajipour the Grammy Award for the best song for social change in 2023.

Amini’s death sparked strong protests in the streets demanding more rights and liberties, especially for women, and called for an end to the Islamic Republic, resulting in a severe crackdown by the authorities that resulted in the death of some 500 demonstrators. EFE

ash-jlr/up/sc

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