Lawyer of Mehdi Yarahi: The sentence of 74 lashes for my client has been executed

The lawyer of Mehdi Yarahi stated that the punishment of 74 lashes for this protesting artist was executed "in full" at the Tehran Moral Security Prosecutor's Office, thus concluding his case. Zahra Minoui, a human rights lawyer, wrote on X on Wednesday: "Today, March 5, 1403, the final part of the sentences issued by Branch 26 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Tehran regarding 74 lashes was executed completely in Branch 4 of the Moral Security Prosecutor's Office in Tehran." According to this lawyer, Mehdi Yarahi's case has now been "concluded." The execution of the lash punishment for this protesting artist comes after Mr. Yarahi announced on Friday, March 1, that this sentence had been postponed. He had previously stated that "when you are whipped, you are deprived of freedom," and expressed his readiness to endure this punishment, which he was sentenced to for performing the song "Rusari To." Mr. Yarahi also mentioned earlier: "I have been banned from working for over six years, while it is my right to hold concerts in my own country. However, this additional suffering has allowed me to understand more deeply the injustices that women in my homeland endure solely because of their gender. I will not turn away from this awareness and will stand by the women of my country." Mehdi Yarahi was arrested in September 2022 by the Islamic Republic's intelligence agents for singing the protest song "Rusari To" in his home. The Revolutionary Court sentenced him to two years and eight months of imprisonment and 74 lashes, of which one year of his prison sentence was enforceable. Mr. Yarahi performed this song in support of the "Women, Life, Freedom" movement and in protest against the mandatory hijab law in Iran. When releasing this song, he stated that he dedicates it to "the noble women of my homeland who shine on the front lines."