Issue and Opponent: On September 13, 2022, Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish woman was detained by the Iranian morality police for “inappropriate attire”. Witnesses reported that Amini was beaten in the police van, an allegation the police deny. Her death three days later sparked nationwide protests for women’s rights for weeks. A protest song by one of Iran’s most popular musicians has become the soundtrack to the biggest civil uprising for decades, channeling the rage of Iranians at home and abroad.
Dilemma Action: Iranian singer Shervin Hajipour posted the song, “Baraye”, which means “for the sake of” or “because of”, to his Instagram account on September 28, 2022. It accrued more than 40 million views by the time authorities forced Hajipour to take it down and arrested him the following day. The song gives voice to sentiments that have driven widespread anger and the largest anti-government protests the country has seen in years, which began with the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody in Tehran in early September, and which have come to encompass a broad range of frustrations uniting Iranians fed up with grinding poverty, repression, gender segregation, and human rights violations. The song was played on mobile phones at protests, blasted from cars, sung by passersby in the streets, shouted from rooftops, chanted at schools and offices, and streamed across social media. Shervin’s arrest made the song even more popular because the injustice of this action enraged people. Despite the internet crackdown, Hajipour’s song has been able to move quickly and change people’s hearts and minds.
Outcome: On September 29, Hajipour was arrested but later released on bail at the beginning of October, according to Iranian state media. Iran’s security forces pressured Hajipour to take down the song. Hajipour’s account was later deactivated. No concessions were made by the Iranian government. Authorities have killed more than 130 protesters, according to rights groups, arrested and injured thousands more, and cut off or slowed internet access across much of the country. A campaign was underway calling on the public to nominate the song for a Grammy in the best song for social change category. The British band Coldplay played the song on October 29, 2022, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, as part of their world tour concerts. This concert was streamed via satellite to cinemas in 81 countries. During the performance, Hajipour’s original video of him singing the song was broadcast above the stage.