By Pishtaz and AFP | 2023-08-28

TEHRAN -- Officials have begun legal proceedings against a prominent pop singer over his latest song urging women to remove their mandatory headscarves, the judiciary said on Sunday (August 27).

The action against Mehdi Yarrahi comes almost a year after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died in custody of the regime's so-called "morality police" on September 16.

Authorities said Amini was arrested because she had not adhered to the state-mandated hair coverage law.

Her death sparked months of nation-wide anti-regime protests around the country -- the most widespread since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution.

On August 26, Yarrahi, 41, released a song titled "Rousarito" (Your Headscarf) along with a three-minute video clip. The song expresses support for last year's protest movement.

"A legal case was filed against Mehdi Yarrahi following the release of an illegal song which defies the morals and customs of the Islamic society," the judiciary's Mizan media outlet said.

Yarrahi, who was detained on August 28, incorporated the protest movement's slogan -- "Women, life, freedom" -- in his new song, and called on women to "take off their headscarves."

The song's accompanying three-minute music video includes clips of several women dancing with their hair uncovered, including one of Nika Shakarami, a 17-year-old girl who was killed in custody of the regime's security forces last year.

Mizan said the legal measures against Yarrahi will also cover another "controversial song" he released in October. Titled "Soroud-e Zan" or "Women's Anthem", the song became a feature of the anti-regime uprising, particularly in universities.

In 2018, Yarrahi received the prize for best pop singer at the Fajr festival, the country's major government-organized musical event.

He has criticized authorities on several occasions during his concerts, mainly over the perceived marginalization of people in his native Khuzestan province, which has a large Arab minority.

During the months of protest, which Tehran generally labelled as foreign-instigated "riots", thousands of Iranians were arrested and hundreds killed, including dozens of security personnel.

Increased policing

Bracing for the first anniversary of Amini's death and the start of the anti-establishment movement, the regime has enhanced its policing of women's coverage on the streets as women continue to defy the coverage code.

The Iranian expatriate opposition has reportedly planned gatherings in tandem with the Iranian public for the first anniversary of the protests.

Last month, state media said police had relaunched patrols to catch those who appear without a headscarf in public.

Iran's judiciary has recently warned those who were detained and released during last year's protests, saying they would be arrested again if they reignite the protests, adding that this time, the government would not be forgiving.

In fear of renewed uprising, the judiciary has also put pressure on the families of last year's protest victims, and has even detained a number of the family members.