Shervin Hajipour has been released on bail and is awaiting trail. He was detained by police shortly after his song in support of feminist protests across the country went viral.
Hajipour's viral video has disappeared from his social media accountsImage: Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images
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A popular Iranian singer was released from detention on bail on Tuesday. Shervin Hajipour was jailed after his song in support of protests over the death of Mahsa Amini went viral.
Hajipour's emotional performance of his song "Baraye," which featured messages posted on Twitter about the reasons behind the protests, had millions of views within days. The song has also been featured in many videos about the demonstrations.
It has since been removed from his Instagram account.
Why are Iranians protesting?
Massive unrest has swept Iran following the death of Amini, 22, on September 16. The Iranian Kurdish woman was visiting the capital Tehran on vacation with her family. She was detained by the capital's religious police, who alleged she was not properly wearing her hijab.
Amini then died under mysterious circumstances after being brought to a detention center for women who are found in violation of religious statutes in the Islamic Republic.
Women and their allies have been staging demonstrations to demand an end to sexist restrictions on their freedoms and to demand bodily autonomy.
President Ebrahim Raisi tried to appeal for unity on Tuesday, acknowledging the government's "weaknesses and shortcomings," but repeating the official line that the protests are being led by foreign agents.
'The government is based on lies and killing'
Iranian writer, filmmaker and activist Siba Shakib told DW that the sustained, determined nature of the protest movement was "amazing."
"They go with nothing in their hands, no weapon, no protection, no helmet, nothing. And they stand in front of these extremely well-trained and extremely well-equipped people, and they lose their lives for their beliefs," she said.
"The current government in Iran has built its power on lies and on killing people," Shakib said. "People have been saying it clearly all over the country for so many decades," she added. "They don't want a religious government."
Iran: Worldwide solidarity with protests
The Iranian regime continues its violent crackdown on protests after the death of 22-year-old Jina Mahsa Amini in police custody. Thousands of people demonstrated again in countries around the world over the weekend.
Image: Stefano Rellandini/AFP/Getty Images
Paris
Many people around the world have been showing solidarity with the protesters in Iran. In the heart of the French capital, Paris, demonstrators marched on Sunday from the Place de la Republique to the Place de la Nation, chanting "Death to the Islamic Republic" and "Death to the dictator."
Image: Stefano Rellandini/AFP/Getty Images
Istanbul, Diyarbakir and Izmir
Many Iranian women were among the hundreds of protesters in the Turkish city of Istanbul. The demonstrators chanted slogans aimed at the Iranian government, such as "Women, life, freedom!" Women in particular also came out to express their solidarity in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir, which has a large Kurdish population — Mahsa Amini was Kurdish — and in Izmir on the west coast.
Image: Emrah Gurel/AP/picture alliance
Berlin
Around 5,000 people protested in Berlin against the Iranian leadership, demanding international solidarity and an end to femicide. A spokesman for exiled Iranians in Germany called for the bloodshed to stop, and for Iran to enact democratic reforms.
Image: Annette Riedl/dpa/picture alliance
Beirut
Many people in the Middle East are also showing solidarity with the protest movement in Iran. In the Lebanese capital, Beirut, women came together outside the National Museum to demand an end to violence against women.
Image: MOHAMED AZAKIR/REUTERS
Los Angeles
People also gathered in the United States to show solidarity with women in Iran —as here, outside City Hall in Los Angeles, California, where a group of musicians played the daf, a traditional Iranian frame drum. Demonstrations also took place in London, Tokyo, and Madrid.
Image: BING GUAN/REUTERS
Sharif University, Tehran
Since the start of the protests, students at Iranian universities have also been demonstrating against the leadership of the Islamic Republic and its repressive policies. Now, security forces in Tehran have attacked students and professors who were protesting at Sharif University. Videos and images of Sunday's violence, both there and in Isfahan, have been widely shared online. (dh/agencies)
Image: UGC/AFP
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The interview with Siba Shakib was conducted by DW's Ben Fajzullin
