Mohsen Chavoshi and Mohsen Namjoo Condemn the Arrest of Mehdi Yarahy: You Are a Fighter

Mohsen Chavoshi and Mohsen Namjoo, two singers in Iran and abroad, reacted to the arrest of singer Mehdi Yarahy and condemned this arrest. Mohsen Chavoshi, in his Instagram account, shared a photo of Yarahy and wrote: 'The image you circulate of the so-called arrest of the noble son of Khuzestan and Iran is a strong document of the oppression of Khuzestan and its children, who are more than eighty million... I know Mehdi for his honor, pure heart, and sincere concerns, and I strongly condemn such actions against a top artist who pays the price for his ideals and beliefs. What danger can a poet, musician, singer, and ultimately an artist pose to you that you fear? Why have you been unable to be impactful with all this expense and waste?' Mohsen Namjoo also reacted to Yarahy's arrest on his Instagram story on Tuesday, writing 'You are a fighter.' He criticized activists, the opposition, and the media in his post. Last week, at the beginning of Shahrivar, a new work by Mehdi Yarahy titled 'Take Off Your Headscarf' was released on the eve of the anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the Islamic Republic police, supporting civil disobedience by Iranian women against compulsory hijab, which received widespread reactions; previously, Saeed Mohammadi had performed this song with a different arrangement. Shortly after the release of this protest work, Islamic Republic officials threatened Mehdi Yarahy with 'judicial action,' although this singer, in a message on his personal account on the X (Twitter) messaging platform using the hashtag '#Mahsa_Amini,' wrote: 'Don't cry, I am the nightmare of this judge.' The judiciary of the Islamic Republic announced on Tuesday, Shahrivar 6, the news of Mehdi Yarahy's arrest. Hours later, a Telegram channel published photos of him during his arrest. (Voice of America does not intend to republish these photos.) The judiciary of the Islamic Republic refrains from disclosing the full names of financial defendants at the time of their arrest, but does not adhere to this rule for political defendants. Some social media users and political activists, such as Hossein Ronaghi, reacted to the actions of media affiliated with the security institutions of the Islamic Republic that published images of this singer's arrest to undermine his public image, by sharing other images along with news about him. In this context, Mohsen Barahani, a lawyer and university professor who has recently been banned from continuing to teach, wrote on his X account in response to the actions of government-supporting media: 'The publisher of the photo #Mehdi_Yarahy is guilty based on Article 91 of the Criminal Procedure Code; the crime of disclosing professional and occupational secrets. What exactly is his crime that justifies his arrest without summons? Has the law respecting legitimate freedoms and preserving citizens' rights been repealed without our knowledge? Yarahy's arrest has faced reactions from many cultural, artistic, and political activists. There have been widespread reactions to the arrest of Mehdi Yarahy; a singer who preferred to be dignified off stage. The new work of Mehdi Yarahy: Take off your headscarf, let your hair down. There have been extensive domestic and international reactions to the arrest of Mehdi Yarahy; someone who stands with his people is not alone. The American PEN Association stated that Yarahy's arrest reflects the 'brutal repression of freedom of expression by the Iranian regime.' Yarahy's lawyer: We have no news of his arrest; the publication of his arrest photo is 'illegal.' The arrest of the singer of the song 'Take Off Your Headscarf'; Mehdi Yarahy: We must continuously talk about the anniversary of the 'murder' of Mahsa Amini.