Iranian Singer Honored With Grammy May Be Headed Back To Prison

Dr. Jill Biden: Announces Grammy For Social Change Song (Photo: Lev Radin / Shutterstock.com)

SHERVIN HAJIPOUR, an IRANIAN singer/songwriter who received a GRAMMY in the new category of Song For Social Change, announced by FIRST LADY DR. JILL BIDEN, now faces prison time for the song, which has become an anthem to the ongoing protests shaking the ISLAMIC REPUBLIC.

HAJIPOUR appeared stunned after hearing PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN's wife announce he'd won the GRAMMY's new merit award for "Baraye." An online video showed him in a dark room wiping tears away after hearing the song be honored.

“Baraye,” or “For” in ENGLISH, begins with “For dancing in the streets,” “for the fear we feel when we kiss.” The lyrics list reasons young IRANIANS have posted on TWITTER for why they had protested against IRAN’s ruling theocracy.

It ends with the widely chanted slogan that has become synonymous with the protests since the SEPTEMBER death of IRANIAN-KURDISH woman MAHSA AMINI: “For women, life, freedom.”

Originally released on his INSTAGRAM page, the song quickly went viral. HAJIPOUR was arrested and held for several days before being released on bail in OCTOBER. The 25-year-old singer faces charges of “propaganda against the regime” and “instigating the violence,” according to HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS in IRAN, a group that’s been monitoring the months-long protests.

The charges HAJIPOUR faces can carry as much as six years in prison. The singer is also banned from leaving the country.

For her speech at the GRAMMYS last night, JILL BIDEN said that a song “can unite, inspire and ultimately change the world.

“This song became the anthem of the MAHSA AMINI protests, a powerful and poetic call for freedom and women’s rights. SHERVIN was arrested, but this song continues to resonate around the world with its powerful theme: Women, life, freedom.”

On INSTAGRAM, HAJUPOUR simply wrote: “We won.”

The singer is among over 19,600 people arrested amid the demonstrations, according to HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS. At least 527 people have been killed amid a violent suppression of the demonstration by authorities.

On SUNDAY, IRAN’s supreme leader reportedly ordered an amnesty or reduction in prison sentences for “tens of thousands” of people detained amid the protests, acknowledging for the first time the scale of the crackdown.

« see more Net News