TEHRAN: Iranian pop singer Mehdi Yarrahi was freed on bail on Tuesday following his detention for releasing a song against compulsory headscarves, a newspaper in the Islamic republic reported.
The 41-year-old had been arrested in August on the orders of prosecutors in Tehran for distributing an “illegal song” that challenged “the morals and customs of Islamic society.”
“Mr Mehdi Yarrahi was freed on bail a few minutes ago from Evin prison” in Tehran, the Shargh newspaper reported on its website.
The singer released the track Roosarito, which means “your headscarf” in Persian, around the anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian Kurd who died on September 16, 2022 after being arrested by the morality police for allegedly breaking Iran’s strict dress code for women.
Hundreds of people, including dozens of security personnel, were killed in protests that broke out across Iran after Amini’s death.
Thousands of protesters were also arrested, accused by the authorities of taking part in “riots” fomented by the West.
Yarrahi released the song and its three-minute video in support of “optional veiling,” dedicating it to the “courageous Iranian women” involved in the protest movement.
Previously he had received the prize for best pop singer at the Fajr festival, the most important government-backed musical event in the country.
His track “Soroode Zan” — “Women’s Anthem” in Persian — which was released in October 2022, became a regular feature of the protests, especially at universities.
Yarrahi has repeatedly criticized the authorities during his concerts, especially for discriminating against people in his home province of Khuzestan which has multiple ethnic minorities.
Iran singer who criticized headscarf law freed on bail
https://arab.news/brdjp
Iran singer who criticized headscarf law freed on bail
- The 41-year-old had been arrested in August on the orders of prosecutors in Tehran for distributing an “illegal song”
- “Mr Mehdi Yarrahi was freed on bail a few minutes ago from Evin prison” in Tehran, the Shargh newspaper reported on its website
First responders enter devastated Aleppo neighborhood after days of deadly fighting
- The US-backed SDF, which have played a key role in combating the Daesh group in large swaths of eastern Syria, are the largest force yet to be absorbed into Syria’s national army
ALEPPO, Syria: First responders on Sunday entered a contested neighborhood in Syria’ s northern city of Aleppo after days of deadly clashes between government forces and Kurdish-led forces. Syrian state media said the military was deployed in large numbers.
The clashes broke out Tuesday in the predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Achrafieh and Bani Zaid after the government and the Syrian Democratic Forces, the main Kurdish-led force in the country, failed to make progress on how to merge the SDF into the national army. Security forces captured Achrafieh and Bani Zaid.
The fighting between the two sides was the most intense since the fall of then-President Bashar Assad to insurgents in December 2024. At least 23 people were killed in five days of clashes and more than 140,000 were displaced amid shelling and drone strikes.
The US-backed SDF, which have played a key role in combating the Daesh group in large swaths of eastern Syria, are the largest force yet to be absorbed into Syria’s national army. Some of the factions that make up the army, however, were previously Turkish-backed insurgent groups that have a long history of clashing with Kurdish forces.
The Kurdish fighters have now evacuated from the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood to northeastern Syria, which is under the control of the SDF. However, they said in a statement they will continue to fight now that the wounded and civilians have been evacuated, in what they called a “partial ceasefire.”
The neighborhood appeared calm Sunday. The United Nations said it was trying to dispatch more convoys to the neighborhoods with food, fuel, blankets and other urgent supplies.
Government security forces brought journalists to tour the devastated area, showing them the damaged Khalid Al-Fajer Hospital and a military position belonging to the SDF’s security forces that government forces had targeted.
The SDF statement accused the government of targeting the hospital “dozens of times” before patients were evacuated. Damascus accused the Kurdish-led group of using the hospital and other civilian facilities as military positions.
On one street, Syrian Red Crescent first responders spoke to a resident surrounded by charred cars and badly damaged residential buildings.
Some residents told The Associated Press that SDF forces did not allow their cars through checkpoints to leave.
“We lived a night of horror. I still cannot believe that I am right here standing on my own two feet,” said Ahmad Shaikho. “So far the situation has been calm. There hasn’t been any gunfire.”
Syrian Civil Defense first responders have been disarming improvised mines that they say were left by the Kurdish forces as booby traps.
Residents who fled are not being allowed back into the neighborhood until all the mines are cleared. Some were reminded of the displacement during Syria’s long civil war.
“I want to go back to my home, I beg you,” said Hoda Alnasiri.
