Condemnation of Shervin Hajipour; Hamid Saidi: The Islamic Republic Cannot Silence Protest Music Artists

Reactions continue to the announcement of Shervin Hajipour's condemnation, the singer of the song "Baraye." On Friday, March 2, he announced on his Instagram account that he had been sentenced to 3 years and 8 months in prison due to the charges against him. Hamid Saidi, a musician, composer, and Grammy Award winner residing in Los Angeles, is one of the artists who reacted to Shervin Hajipour's condemnation. He is one of the producers of a new version of the song "Baraye" by Shervin Hajipour, which was released in February of last year in English and Persian with the participation of over 16,000 volunteers in Los Angeles. This song, titled "Baraye - Woman, Life, Freedom," was recorded at the "Henson" music studio in Los Angeles with the presence of a significant number of artists, prominent figures, and Iranian-American art lovers. Hamid Saidi told VOA: "The simultaneous announcement of this sentence and the regime's defeat in the elections on March 2 is not a coincidence. The Islamic Republic wants to take revenge on the people by persecuting Shervin and also wants to divert public attention from its electoral disgrace." He adds: "The announcement and implementation of such sentences show the anger and desperation of the government in the face of a large segment of society. Shervin is the voice of the majority of Iranians, both those inside and those living abroad; he is the artist of Iranians worldwide who say no to this regime and government." According to Hamid Saidi, the Islamic Republic wants to punish the people with Shervin's condemnation, prevent more artists from joining the protest art movement, and with such sentences, it tries to silence artists who are active in protest music. He further notes that Shervin Hajipour did not express remorse or regret, which has been very heavy for the government. Hamid Saidi states: "Shervin is a product of the frustration and rebellion of society; this frustration and rebellion have not ended. Perhaps the government can silence Shervin for a while, but this society has many Shervins ready to emerge, and it will gift other children like Shervin. This movement and these voices will not be silenced and will continue." Shervin Hajipour, by publishing the court ruling on Instagram, stated that the charges against him included "propaganda against the regime and inciting people to riot" and wrote that besides 3 years and 8 months in prison, he was sentenced to two years of travel ban and reading books such as "The Rights of Women in Islam" and also to create music against America and publish it on social media. The announcement of this news was met with a lot of reactions on social media, and many Iranian users strongly criticized the Islamic Republic while supporting Shervin Hajipour. The song "Baraye," which was released amid the nationwide protests of 1401, received a warm welcome from protesters in Iran. After the release of this song, Shervin Hajipour was imprisoned and spent some time in detention, and the video of this song was also deleted from his Instagram page. However, the song "Baraye" was introduced by the Grammy Academy website as the unofficial anthem of the protesters against the Iranian government, and in 1401, the jury of the 65th Grammy Awards awarded the "Song for Social Change" award to Shervin Hajipour's song "Baraye." Time magazine also named Shervin Hajipour as one of the 100 most influential people of 2023. Reactions to Shervin Hajipour's condemnation; the creator of the song that became the anthem of the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement. Abram Pili: The people of Iran cannot express the real voice at the ballot box. Shervin Hajipour was sentenced to prison and to create music against America. The Voices Project; a new version of the song "Baraye" was released with the participation of over 16,000 volunteers. Shervin Hajipour was named one of the influential figures of the year by Time magazine. Remix of Shervin's song "Baraye"; Hooman Riaz: We chose a revolutionary music style.