PEN America, an organization that defends writers, journalists and protects freedom of artistic expression, has condemned the arrest of Iranian musician Mehdi Yarrahi.

In a statement released online, the organization called for Yarrahi’s immediate release and for all charges to be dropped against him.

Yarrahi was arrested after the release of his song ‘Your Headscarf’, a poignant critique of Iran's enduring mandatory hijab policy.

Simultaneously, the Iranian government announced a ban on "cultural activists" who they considered to be “acting against the nation's interests” including female artists and actors who remove their hijabs.

“These bans carried out against cultural activists serve as a grim reminder of the Iranian government’s continued campaign to suppress any artistic expression that dares to challenge the status quo.

The legal action taken against Mehdi Yarrahi is indicative of the Iranian regime’s systematic, brutal repression of democratic free expression. We stand in solidarity with Iran’s artists and cultural workers defending fundamental rights and freedoms, and demand that all charges against Yarrahi be dropped,” said Julie Trebault, director of Artists at Risk Connection.

Yarrahi's arrest is the latest development in a series of repressive measures imposed by the Iranian government, coinciding with the approaching one-year anniversary of the death of Amini, in police custody following her arrest for not wearing the mandatory headscarf.

Earlier this month, Iranian filmmaker Saeed Roustayi was sentenced to six months in prison for screening his award-winning film Leila’s Brothers at the Cannes Film Festival. Other prominent figures such as political rapper Toomaj Salehi and actress Taraneh Alidoosti have also faced persecution for their involvement in the September 2022 protests.

PEN America’s latest Freedom to Write Index — an annual count of writers in prison worldwide — found that Iran is the largest jailer of women writers globally.