An Iranian court has sentenced a classical female singer to four years in prison simply for performing poetry.
On Wednesday, August 19, 2026, Hiva Seyfizadeh announced in a video message that a preliminary court handed down the four-year sentence under the regime’s fabricated charge of “encouraging corruption and prostitution.” Protesting this oppressive verdict, the female singer emphasized that her sole action was singing a few lines of classical poems by Saadi.
This harsh sentence stems from a violent crackdown on women’s artistic activities. On the evening of Thursday, February 27, 2025, repressive security forces raided an event at the “Emarat-e Rooberoo” cultural venue in Tehran. During the raid, agents arrested Hiva Seyfizadeh, the venue manager, and several attendees, abruptly shutting down the performance. She was released on bail after two days, but the regime’s Public Security Police confiscated and blocked her Instagram page.
Banning concerts, arresting artists, and jailing a female singer under the pretext of ‘promoting corruption’ are only a part of a systematic suppression by the mullahs’ regime against women. However, the determination of Iranian women to continue their artistic resistance despite constant risks highlights the growing defiance against the regime’s forced impositions and blatant human rights violations.
