Amini

DUBAI —  An Iranian singer who won a Grammy presented by First Lady Jill Biden has been sentenced to more than three years in prison over his anthem supporting the 2022 protests over the death of Mahsa Amini. Shervin Hajipour posted on Instagram on Friday, the same day that Iran held its parliamentary election, what appeared to be part of the judgment against him. It said Hajipour received a three-year, eight-month sentence on charges of “propaganda against the system” and “encouraging people to protest.” The court…

Hi, I’m arts writer Deborah Vankin, filling in for Carolina Miranda this week.A 5-year-old public sculpture, honoring a Persian emperor of 2,600 years ago, is now tragically timely.The 2017 sculpture, “Freedom: A Shared Dream,” sits on Santa Monica Boulevard in Century City, featuring gold and silver concentric cylinders made of stainless steel. It shimmers in the sunlight and glows, with LED lights, at night. It’s by British artist Cecil Balmond and was commissioned by the L.A. nonprofit Farhang Foundation, which…

Iran has blocked access to Instagram and WhatsApp as its government attempts to subdue protests that began last week following the death of a woman at the hands of local authorities. As of Wednesday, demonstrations across the country had been ongoing for four consecutive days. The protests began over the weekend after 22-year-old died in the custody of Iran’s morality police on September 16th. She was arrested for allegedly violating the country’s strict dress code for women. ⚠️ #Iran is now subject to the most severe…