FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

7 March, 2025

(NEW YORK) — ARC condemns the punishment meted out by Iranian authorities to musician Mehdi Yarrahi who was convicted in January 2024 for releasing a protest song about Iran’s mandatory hijab laws in September 2023. Yarrahi was lashed 74 times on Wednesday, March 5, as part of a so-called “deal” to end the criminal charges against him.

 “ARC condemns in the strongest possible terms the brutal flogging punishment carried out against Mehdi Yarrahi, which has been deemed inhumane and is strictly prohibited under international human rights law, ,” said Julie Trebault, Director of the Artists at Risk Connection. “The Iranian court, fully aware of this flagrant violation of human dignity, administered the 74 lashes as a deliberate tactic to instill fear and silence those who dare to imagine a freer, more just society. ARC stands in solidarity with Mehdi Yarrahi and all artists risking their safety to speak truth to power.”

Yarrahi was convicted in 2024 of acting unlawfully by releasing his protest song, “Roosarito” (Farsi for “your headscarf”) in September 2023 to mark the one-year anniversary of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protest movement. The song invited women to “take off their headscarves” and to “not be afraid… to laugh, protest, and cry.”  

Initially sentenced to two years and eight months in prison, Yarrahi’s punishment was later reduced to one year, then commuted to house arrest along with 74 lashes. Refusing to plead for leniency, the artist stoically commented on the brutal punishment that awaited him, saying, “I am ready to receive the sentence of 74 lashes, and while I condemn this inhuman torture, I make no request to cancel it.”

News of the torture caused massive outrage across Iranian social media, with figures like Novel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi calling “The flogging on Mehdi’s body” “a whip on the proud, resistant women of Iran.” While Yarrahi is hopefully reaching the end of his unjust treatment, other Iranian artists remain imprisoned and persecuted for their creative expression, such as musician Shervin Hajipour, who was sentenced to three years and eight months in jail in March 2024, or singer Zara Esmaeili, who was arrested and disappeared in summer of last year and has not been heard from since. 

Read ARC’s original statement on Mehdi Yarrahi’s imprisonment. 

About ARC 

Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) is an international organization committed to promoting and advancing the right to artistic freedom worldwide. Founded in 2017, ARC works to protect artists and cultural workers who are at risk because of their creative expression, often connected to their identities or roles within their communities. By providing vital resources and support, ARC helps artists at risk overcome challenges like persecution, censorship, threats, and violence from both state and non-state actors—whether for their artistic expression or the broader impact they have on cultural, social, and political issues.