Tehran (dpa) – The Iranian authorities have dropped the charges against the protest singer Mehdi Yarrahi, the news portal Entekhab reported on Thursday.
Local media reported that Yarrahi had already received 74 lashes as part of his sentence, which Yarrahi’s lawyer Zahra Minueu confirmed.
During the nationwide protests in 2022 against Iran’s theocratic system, in particular against the Islamic dress code, Yarrahi composed a protest song “Roosarito” (Your Headscarf), with the refrain: “Take off your headscarf and let your hair down … Don’t be afraid.”
He was subsequently arrested for disregarding Islamic values and sentenced to prison and 74 lashes.
The protests – the most violent against Iran’s Islamic system to date – were triggered by the death of a young Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, in government custody after being detained for allegedly wearing her headscarf incorrectly.
The government denied any complicity in the 22-year-old’s death.
Since then, many women in Iran have ignored the requirement to wear a headscarf.
GNA