Ali Mojtahedzadeh Reports on the 'Possibility' of Overturning Shervin Hajipour's Prison Sentence

A lawyer and legal expert reported on the 'possibility' of the Supreme Judicial Authority overturning Shervin Hajipour's sentence. Ali Mojtahedzadeh stated in an interview with the Etemad newspaper that there is a possibility of invoking Article 477. According to Article 477 of the Criminal Procedure Code enacted in 2013, if the head of the judiciary finds a definitive ruling from any judicial authority to be 'against Islamic law', he can authorize a retrial and send the case to the Supreme Court for consideration and a definitive ruling by specific branches designated by the head of the judiciary. Mojtahedzadeh emphasized: 'The reality is that the ruling issued for Shervin Hajipour violates some legal statements. I believe this ruling, more than being against Shervin Hajipour for singing a song, undermines the judiciary.' This lawyer stated, 'I am aware that Mr. Ejei personally opposes this ruling and such rulings in general.' Shervin Hajipour, a protest singer, recently announced that he must report to prison in a few days to serve a sentence of 3 years and 8 months related to the production of the song 'Baraye'. In a post on his Instagram page, he mentioned that he received a notice to report to prison and questioned which line of his song incited people to violence, stating that his charge was 'inciting people to slaughter and war.' He expressed hope that his prison sentence would be overturned in the appellate court, but this did not happen, and he is now trying to pursue a retrial and other legal avenues to avoid going to prison. In this context, several Iranian musicians abroad issued a statement on their social media accounts protesting the execution of the 'inhumane' 3 years and 8 months prison sentence for Shervin Hajipour, the Iranian protest singer.