The Iranian regime punishes those who challenge its oppressive laws, with pop singer Mehdi Yarrahi enduring 74 lashes as part of a crackdown on artists advocating for freedom and women's rights. These severe actions highlight the regime’s ruthless control over artistic expression and personal freedoms.
A famous Iranian pop singer, Mehdi Yarrahi, who created a song urging women to remove their headscarves, declared on Wednesday that he was willing to "pay the price of freedom" after enduring 74 lashes imposed by the authorities as part of his sentence. This punishment was a direct response to his support for the Women. Life. Freedom movement, which has become a symbol of resistance against the oppressive regime in Iran.
Yarrahi was arrested in 2023 for releasing the song, which advocated for women's rights to choose whether or not to wear the hijab. He was released the following year and placed under house arrest. However, his sentence also included 74 lashes, a brutal punishment imposed under the strict, authoritarian laws of the Islamic Republic. His lawyer, Zahra Minouei, confirmed on social media that the final part of the sentence—the flogging—was carried out. “Today, the last part of the verdict, 74 lashes, was implemented,” she wrote on X, adding that the case was now closed.
Yarrahi, undeterred by the cruelty of the punishment, responded with a statement that underscored his defiance: “Those who are not willing to pay the price of freedom are not worthy of freedom.” His words highlight the severe cost of standing up against the regime, yet also the unwavering spirit of resistance that continues to challenge Iran’s dictatorship.
The case also drew reactions from other prominent figures. Actress Taraneh Alidoosti, who was arrested for her participation in the protests against the mandatory hijab law, posted on Instagram after learning of Yarrahi’s flogging: “Shame on backwardness, shame on torture, shame on violence, shame on inhumane laws, and shame and dishonor on our impotence.” Alidoosti's message speaks to the shared outrage over the regime’s increasingly harsh and repressive measures against those who dare to defy its authoritarian rule.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, who has spent years imprisoned for her activism, also spoke out about the punishment, calling it a “retaliatory measure” for Yarrahi’s support of women’s rights in Iran. “The lashes on Mehdi’s body are lashes against the proud and resilient women of Iran and against the flourishing and powerful spirit of the Women. Life. Freedom motto,” she said. Mohammadi’s statement links Yarrahi’s suffering to the broader struggle for women’s rights and freedoms, painting a picture of a regime determined to crush any form of dissent.
The punishment of flogging, which is legally sanctioned in Iran, is regularly imposed by the judiciary, though it is not always enforced. However, this case demonstrates how the Iranian government uses such brutal measures as a means of silencing any form of opposition or support for the ongoing protests.
On December 11, Parastoo Ahmadi, an Iranian singer who also challenged the regime’s oppressive rules, released a filmed concert on her YouTube channel in which she appeared without the hijab, defying the mandatory headscarf law imposed on women in Iran. The video quickly gained widespread support from her fans, who praised her courage. However, it also led to immediate legal action by the Iranian authorities. Ahmadi’s defiance, captured in a nearly thirty-minute performance, shows her in a black, form-fitting dress, her shoulders exposed, and without a headscarf. She was accompanied by her band in a traditional Iranian setting, evoking the imagery of a caravanserai.
The authorities wasted no time in responding to her act of defiance. The government-controlled Mizan News Agency condemned the “group led by a singer” for producing music that allegedly violated the “legal and religious rules” of the regime. Shortly afterward, legal proceedings were initiated against Ahmadi and the concert’s production team. This response highlights the Iranian government's swift and severe crackdown on any form of cultural expression that challenges its authoritarian rule.
With AFP
Comments