Nazanin Boniadi Instagram – Art is a crime in the Islamic Republic. And the regime clearly fears artists. Iranian singer #ShervinHajipour has been sentenced to three years in prison for “inciting people to cause unrest against national security,” and an additional eight months for “spreading propaganda against the regime” because of his protest anthem ‘Baraye,’ which won the inaugural Song for Social Change Grammy. As additional penalties: he is banned from leaving the country for two years. He is being forced to compile and share the “achievements” of the Islamic Revolution in culture, science, and art on his internet platform. And he is required to prepare 30-page handwritten summaries for each of two books regarding women’s status in Islam, produce a song about “the atrocities of the U.S. against humanity,” collect cases of human rights violations by the U.S. over the past century, and participate in behavioral training courses in the field of art.