Iranian singer Shervin Hajipour, who won a Grammy for his protest anthem after the death of Mahsa Amini, has been sentenced.
Shervin Hajipour was sentenced to three years and eight months in prison for “propaganda against the system” And “encouragement to demonstrate”. The court imposed the sentence in part because it found that the singer had not expressed regret over the publication of the song.
He also imposed a two-year travel ban on her and ordered her to create a song about “American Crimes” and posting messages about these alleged crimes online.
Shervin Hajipour has already served part of his prison sentence, but was released on bail pending the court’s decision.
His song, “Baraye”, begins with: “For dancing in the streets”, “for the fear we feel when we kiss”. The lyrics list the reasons young Iranians posted online as to why they protested against Iran’s ruling theocracy following the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022, after being arrested by the morality police.
The protests quickly turned into calls to overthrow Iran’s religious leaders. The ensuing repression left more than 500 dead and more than 22,000 people arrested.