JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
In Iran, female singers are facing a wave of arrests and harassment. The country's religious government does not permit women to perform alone on stage. Some have found moderate fame anyway by releasing their music on social media. But as Durrie Bouscaren reports, Iran's authorities have begun tracking them down as well.
DURRIE BOUSCAREN, BYLINE: Her friends have been arrested while performing at underground shows. Most of her fans can only listen to her music through VPN software that hides the location of their computer. But this artist keeps making music.
UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL ARTIST #1: (Through interpreter) We should all know that music is not a crime. Music is the sound of peace. It's one of the most beautiful forms of art.
BOUSCAREN: This singer-songwriter is based in Tehran. That's why NPR has agreed not to disclose her name. In recent months, female musicians in Iran have been arrested and charged with indecency for performing in public, but for many years, releasing music on Instagram seemed like a loophole.
UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL ARTIST #1: (Through interpreter) Whether you're an artist, run an online shop, even a repair technician, if you want to get noticed, you need Instagram.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL ARTIST #2: (Singing in non-English language).
BOUSCAREN: From Persian rap to hard rock and electronica, Instagram is the platform of choice for Iran's female artists.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL ARTIST #3: (Singing in non-English language).
BOUSCAREN: Many have hundreds of thousands of followers. Most do not wear the compulsory hijab in their videos.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL ARTIST #4: (Singing in non-English language).
BOUSCAREN: But in the past three months, one by one, they've fallen silent.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "KOOYE DOOST")
PARASTOO AHMADI: (Singing in non-English language).
BOUSCAREN: In December, security forces arrested 27-year-old Parastoo Ahmadi and her bandmates, after she performed a live concert on YouTube with her hair and shoulders uncovered. She was released on a $38,000 bail.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: (Non-English language spoken).
BOUSCAREN: Afterwards, during a broadcast on Iran's national TV, a child asked former parliamentarian Ali Motahhari why women were not permitted to sing in public. He responded that it's not explicitly forbidden, but that women are largely not permitted to sing because Islam wants to, quote, "protect the family."
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
ALI MOTAHHARI: (Speaking Persian).
BOUSCAREN: He continues, quote, "any kind of action that causes the stimulation of sexual instinct is forbidden." The girls in the audience, all under the age of 10 or so, look nonplussed.
FARAVAZ: Your clothes was not good enough, your hair was outside, or you was moving.
BOUSCAREN: These are all excuses, says Iranian singer Faravaz. She was one of the first artists to gain a following on Instagram but had to flee Iran in 2018 after being sentenced to a year in prison on indecency charges. Now she lives in Berlin and runs an organization supporting Iranian artists - The Right to Sing.
FARAVAZ: They are afraid. They know they are risking their life with singing and doing music. But they are like, if I don't do it, then what is the difference between me and a person who's not alive?
BOUSCAREN: Objectively, she says, the latest crackdown has been particularly harsh. Even smaller artists who perform on social media only have been summoned for questioning and forced to delete their Instagram - sometimes their only link with their fans.
UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL ARTIST #1: (Speaking Persian).
BOUSCAREN: The artist in Tehran says she and her friends will continue to make music, despite the risks.
UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL ARTIST #1: (Through interpreter) Because there's no other choice. Half of society - us women - can't be ignored forever.
BOUSCAREN: She says they're holding on to the hope that something will change. For NPR News, I'm Durrie Bouscaren.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL ARTIST #5: (Singing in non-English language). Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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