Iranians boiling in anger after singer’s death

Islam Mohamed

Despite repression by the authorities, Iranians continue to protest on the streets of Iran.

The death of legendary Iranian singer Mohammad Reza Shajarian has fueled a new wave of protests in Iran.

Iranian citizens participating in the protests sang slogans critical of the Iranian television and radio which banned the works of the deceased singer for a decade against the background of his support for the protests that erupted in Iran in 2009 against the re-election of former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Iranian authorities prevented ordinary Iranians from participating in the funeral and the burial of Shajarian for fear of the re-eruption of protests.

Shajarian died at a hospital in Iranian capital Tehran on October 8.

Thousands of the late singer’s fans assembled outside the hospital and chanted slogans against Iranian security.

“Death to the dictator,” some of the demonstrators chanted, apparently in reference to the Iranian supreme guide Ali Khamenei.

Iranian police used force to disperse the demonstrators under the pretext of applying the law which bans assemblies because of the coronavirus.

Social media users, meanwhile, shared videos that show large numbers of anti-riot police on the streets in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad. Policemen were also deployed in the vicinity of Shajarian’s tomb.

Shajarian is an icon in Iran, even as he is not heavily involved in politics. Nonetheless, he backed the 2009 protests which followed the presidential elections.

He asked Iranian media to stop broadcasting his works after police brutally dispersed the demonstrators.

Iranian authorities then prevented him from producing music albums or holding concerts.