Hiva Seyfizadeh, Singer, Released on Bail

Hiva Seyfizadeh, a singer and musician, who was arrested during her concert last Thursday night, has been released on bail. ISNA news agency quoted Ahmad Sadri, the director of the Music Office of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, confirming that Ms. Seyfizadeh was released on Saturday, March 2. Sadri had previously stated that the concert held at the 'Omrat Robro' complex featuring Hiva Seyfizadeh did not have a permit. This is while a cultural complex typically refrains from hosting concerts or any events without a permit. Eyewitnesses and some attendees at the concert had previously reported on social media that individuals 'in plain clothes' had prevented the continuation of the concert. The news of the singer and musician's release on 'bail' comes amid uncertainty about which authority was responsible for her and her group's arrest. However, on Saturday, the Instagram page of this singer was blocked, and it was announced that this action was taken 'by the Public Security Police of Faraja.' Preventing the performance of a 'non-permitted' concert is not unprecedented, but judicial and security officials have yet to explain the reasons behind Hiva Seyfizadeh's arrest and the blocking of her page. Ms. Seyfizadeh was performing a music concert at the 'Omrat Robro' cultural complex in Tehran when she was arrested along with her group by security agents on Thursday, March 2. Following the news of her arrest on social media, the 'Omrat Robro' cultural complex also announced on Instagram that it would be closed 'until further notice.' After that, a music journalist on X network wrote that the arrest of this female singer was due to a 'rumor of [holding] the first concert of a female singer for men.' Hiva Seyfizadeh had released songs without mandatory hijab in support of protesters during the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement. Following the 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests that began after the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police, many female artists in Iran joined these protests, and many of them were arrested or banned from working by the government.