An Iranian singer who faces possible prison time for his song thats become an anthem to the ongoing protests shaking the Islamic Republic wept early Monday after seeing hed won a Grammy.
Shervin Hajipour appeared stunned after hearing Jill Biden, the wife of President Joe Biden, announce hed won the Grammys new song for social change special merit award for Baraye. An online video showed Hajipour in a darkened room, wiping tears away after the announcement.
Hajipours song 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 Irans ruling theocracy.
It ends with the widely chanted slogan that has become synonymous with the protests since the September death of Iranian-Kurdish woman Masha Amini: For women, life, freedom.
Released on his Instagram page, the song quickly went viral. Hajipour then 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 thats been monitoring the monthslong protests.
The charges Hajipour faces can carry as much as six years in prison all together. The singer is also banned from leaving Iran.
Wearing a shining, off-the-shoulder Oscar de la Renta dress at the Grammy ceremony in Los Angeles, 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 womens rights, Biden said. Shervin was arrested, but this song continues to resonate around the world with its powerful theme: Women, life, freedom.
Those gathered cheered Bidens remarks. On Instagram, Hajipour simply wrote: We won.
There was no immediate reaction in Iranian state media or from government officials to Hajipours win. The singer is among over 19,600 people arrested amid the demonstrations, according to Human Rights Activists in Iran. At least 527 people have been killed amid a violent suppression of the demonstration by authorities.
On Sunday, Irans supreme leader on Sunday 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.
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