Mehdi Yarrahi

Profile Overview

Mehdi Yarrahi (Persian: مهدی یراحی, born 14 November 1981 in Ahvaz) is an Iranian singer, musician, and activist living in Tehran. He began his professional career in 2010. At times, he has been banned from performing in public by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance and the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting due to the politically sensitive content of his songs and protests.
On 25 August 2023, Mehdi Yarrahi released his new protest song, Roosarito. The song supports women who, by joining the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, remove their headscarves in defiance of Iran's compulsory hijab laws. Following the release, Tehran's prosecutor ordered Yarrahi's arrest on charges related to the publication of Roosarito.
On 28 December 2024, after serving a one-year prison sentence, Mehdi Yarrahi was released. However, his sentence of 74 lashes remained in effect but was suspended on bail of 1.5 billion tomans and remained under review. In a video published on his personal YouTube channel on 28 February 2025, Yarrahi declared his readiness to receive the punishment, defended women's civil liberties in the arts, and criticized gender-based favoritism in Iran's music industry. On 5 March 2025, his sentence of 74 lashes was carried out.