The Terrible Punishment a Singer Received After Singing "Take Off Your Scarf"

An Iranian Pop Musician Supporting the 'Hijab Protest' Receives 74 Lashes
Flogging, a Pre-modern Punishment Strictly Prohibited by the UN International Covenant on Human Rights
Released Song Online to Avoid Censorship, but Was Arrested

An Iranian popular musician who supported the 'Hijab Protest' for the promotion of women's rights was whipped 74 times.

The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 6th (local time) that Iranian authorities recently punished the famous singer Mehdi Yarrahi (43) with flogging after he released a song urging women to remove their hijabs.

Iranian women wearing mandatory hijabs are window shopping in the capital, Tehran. (Photo to aid understanding of the above article). Photo by AFP Yonhap News

Yarrahi's lawyer stated that due to the flogging, Yarrahi is unable to lean on his back or sit down. Flogging is a pre-modern form of punishment strictly prohibited as an inhumane act under the UN International Covenant on Human Rights.

Yarrahi was sentenced to flogging because of the hijab protests that swept Iran in 2022. The protests, which lasted for six months, spread after a woman in her 20s was arrested in downtown Tehran for not properly wearing a hijab and died under suspicious circumstances.

At that time, Yarrahi released a song praising women who refused to wear the hijab and revealed their hair. The music video included lyrics saying "Take off your scarf and let your hair flow," and featured women shaking their hair without hijabs.

Yarrahi released the song only online to avoid censorship but was soon arrested. Iranian authorities stated, "Yarrahi released an illegal song that goes against the morals and norms of Islamic society."

The Iranian Revolutionary Court initially sentenced Yarrahi to 2 years and 8 months in prison. However, due to deteriorating health, the sentence was reduced to one year of house arrest and 74 lashes. Yarrahi voiced on X (formerly Twitter), "Those who are not prepared to pay the price for freedom do not deserve to enjoy it," and expressed hope for liberation.