Iranian singer ordered to write ‘US crimes’ song as punishment
AN Iranian pop star who wrote an anthem for anti-regime protests across the country has been sentenced to prison and ordered to write a new song railing against America as punishment.
Shervin Hajipour, 27, was sentenced to three years and eight months imprisonment on the charges of “inciting unrest against national security” and “spreading propaganda against the regime,” which are frequently levelled against participants in the 2022 mass uprising.
But in a devastating twist, Mr Hajipour, who won a Grammy Award for his anthem, has been ordered by the same court to produce a song about the “USA’s atrocities against humanity” in order to reflect the “gravity” of his own actions. He has also been banned for leaving Iran for two years once his imprisonment ends.
The unusual punishment was disclosed on Friday by the Human Rights Activists News Agency, a human rights group which scrutinises the Iranian regime and its brutal crackdown on demonstrators in 2022.
Mr Hajipour’s song, “Baraye”, or “For” in English, became a national sensation in Iran when it was released after the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman, in police custody.
Amini had been detained by the regime’s morality police for incorrectly wearing her headscarf and was allegedly beaten to death while in custody. Wearing a headscarf is compulsory in Iran, and those caught without one risk being imprisoned.
“Baraye” quickly became an anthem for disaffected Iranians who were horrified by the killing of Amini, prompting hundreds of thousands to demonstrate in dozens of Iranian cities.
The Iranian regime launched a brutal crackdown on the protests, killing an estimated 500 people and injuring countless others.
An estimated 200,000 people were arrested, with some given as little as 15 minutes to defend themselves in court against the death penalty for sedition.
Mr Hajipour does not appear to be intimidated by the Iranian legal system, as last month he released a new song which doubled down on his opposition to the regime and his legal troubles.
According to CNN, in that new song he characterises himself as “trash that will stay in Iran to rebuild this city,” even though he is not being allowed to freely express himself in songs.
“Baraye” won a Grammy Award in the category of “best song for social change” due to its “profound social influence and impact”.
“The Academy steadfastly supports freedom of expression and art that’s created to empower communities in need,” Harvey Mason Jr, chief executive of the Recording Academy, said at the time. “Because music serves the world, and the Recording Academy exists to serve music.”