Iranian Grammy Award-Winning Singer Ordered To Start Prison Sentence

Iranian singer and Grammy Award winner Shervin Hajipour (file photo)

An Iranian court has ordered Grammy Award winner Shervin Hajipour to begin his prison sentence for making the viral song Baraye, according to a July 30 Instagram post. The song became the anthem of the Women, Life, Freedom protests in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini while in police custody. Hajipour said on Instagram that his almost four-year sentence was upheld by an Iranian appeals court, which claimed the song incited people to “kill and fight.” While Hajipour is no longer barred from leaving Iran, he said he will go back to prison rather than leave the country. He was previously arrested in September 2022.