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. — AFP