Reactions to the Whipping of Mehdi Yarahy; Tomaj Salehi: Mehdi is Stronger Than Before

The execution of a 74-lash sentence for Mehdi Yarahy, a protesting singer, has sparked widespread reactions among political, artistic, and human rights activists. Tomaj Salehi, a protesting rapper, stated in his Instagram story: "Unfortunately, the Stone Age ruling of 74 lashes for our noble and brave brother Mehdi Yarahy has been executed." He praised Mr. Yarahy, saying: "Someone whose entire life has been an honor for this homeland... someone who has always supported his people." Salehi also emphasized that this singer remains resilient after the execution of the sentence: "Of course, Mehdi is stronger than before and has not even groaned. Sometimes wounds make a person stronger, depending on the individual." Narges Mohammadi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and human rights activist, wrote on the social media platform 'X': "The execution of the lash sentence for Mehdi Yarahy is revenge for his support of the women of Iran." Referring to the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement, she added: "The lash on Mehdi's body is a whip on the resilient women of Iran and the blossoming and powerful spirit of this movement." This women's rights activist emphasized that Mr. Yarahy stands alongside protesting women and the people, refusing to take advantage of "gender privilege" in music. Ms. Mohammadi called on everyone to protest this act for the strength of the chain of solidarity and to end the religious, misogynistic tyranny, saying: "Mehdi Yarahy stood in protest against the suppression of women's voices; let us be his voice." Hamid Ismailioun, a well-known figure in the quest for justice, also wrote in a message: "In praise of those who go to battle against darkness with song and pen" and added: "In praise of those who bear the lashes of criminals and tyrants on their weary bodies, leaving only a trace of blood." Mr. Ismailioun also emphasized that these individuals, despite all pressures, say "no" and are the victors of this unequal war. Additionally, Hossein Ronaghi, a civil activist in Iran, considered the execution of this sentence a sign of the "inability and impotence of the rulers of the Islamic Republic." He wrote on X addressing the officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran: "Guns and bullets, lashes, repression, and prisons will not save you from inevitable downfall." Mr. Ronaghi told the ruling body: "Soon all of you oppressors will be accountable to the people of Iran." He concluded his message by referring to one of the famous songs: "When you are whipped, you are free from freedom..." Yaghma Fashakhami, a journalist, also criticized the execution of this sentence, writing: "Mehdi Yarahy was whipped 74 times for releasing a song. A sentence that was not given to two corrupt ministers of the Raisi government accused of embezzling $3.4 billion." Aziz Ghasemzadeh, a teachers' union activist and singer in Iran, also wrote in his Telegram channel about the fact that "lashes fell on the noble body of Mehdi Yarahy, a free and proud artist, from the essence of corruption, darkness, and oppression, which revealed to us the highway of freedom and justice." He wrote: "These lashes, although they struck a noble body hard, taught the sign of liberation from the grip of resistance, courage, honesty, and dignity to those who want to remain citizens, not subjects! They should be entitled, not obligated! They should be critics, not submissive!" He urged the "silent and mute artists, especially in music," not to "close their eyes to this bitter event" and added: "Artists who are actively present in their appreciation ceremonies these days must realize that the spotlight of public opinion becomes disheartened by indifference in this era filled with pain and torture, and considers art for art a misguided and erroneous goal." Furthermore, Ismail Bakhti, a labor activist, wrote on the social media platform X: "The lash on the body of Mehdi Yarahy, a popular and resilient artist, was not just a lash on one body but a whip on the entire body of art and art lovers of this land. Shame and curse upon your impure existence, devoid of everything..." Mehdi Yarahy, a well-known protesting singer, emphasized in a statement after the execution of his 74 lashes by the judiciary that one must "pay the price for freedom." On Wednesday, March 6, in response to enduring 74 lashes at the hands of the judiciary of the Islamic Republic, recalling a piece from his protest song "The Anthem of Life" that he sang during the nationwide protests of 2022, he implicitly deemed the lash punishment on himself ineffective. Mr. Yarahy had also previously stated: "I have been deprived and banned from working for more than six years, while it is my right to hold concerts in my own land. However, this additional suffering has made me understand more deeply the oppression that women in my homeland endure solely because of their gender. I will not turn away from this awareness and will stand with the women of my land." Mehdi Yarahy was arrested in September 2023 for singing the protest song "Rusari To" at his home by agents of the Islamic Republic's intelligence. He sang "Rusari To" in support of the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement and in protest against the mandatory hijab law in Iran. At the Islamic Revolutionary Court, he was sentenced to two years and eight months of imprisonment and 74 lashes, of which one year of his prison sentence was executable. However, Zahra Minoui, one of Mehdi Yarahy's lawyers, stated at the same time as announcing the news of the "full execution" of the punishment of "74 lashes" for this protesting artist at the Tehran Moral Security Prosecutor's Office, that his case had been closed. The execution of the lash sentence for this protesting singer, just before March 8, which coincides with International Women's Day, has led to a wave of citizen protests in the media and social networks.