Former Iranian world wrestling champion Sardar Pashaei has condemned the arrest of his sister for speaking out against the Islamic theocracy's discriminatory laws on International Women’s Day.
“My sister, Leila Pashaei, was arrested a few days after giving a speech on March 8, International Women’s Day, where she stood alongside many brave Kurdish women to speak about women’s rights and equality,” Pashaei told Iran International.
“Security forces raided her home, arrested her, and took her to Sanandaj prison. She has been charged with ‘acting against national security.’ But all she did was speak out peacefully for basic human rights—for women to live free from discrimination and oppression.”
Pashaei criticized the Iranian government’s restrictions on women, saying, “Speaking for equality is not a threat to national security. It is a rightful demand.”
He added that the real threat to Iran’s security comes from the government’s policies, including its nuclear ambitions and financial support for foreign armed groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.
“The Islamic Republic has isolated Iran from the world, spent billions of dollars on nuclear programs that have brought heavy sanctions, and continues to support terrorist organizations,” he said. “These actions have put the safety and future of Iran and its people at risk.”
Referring to the Woman, Life, Freedom protest movement that began after the death of a young woman name Mahsa Amini in morality police custody in 2022, Pashaei said the fight for justice would not be silenced.
“Arresting my sister and other courageous women will not stop this movement. Iranian women and people will keep standing up until they achieve democracy, equality, and freedom—for themselves and for future generations.”
Leila Pashaei was also detained during the Women, Life, Freedom protests and, according to her brother, was jailed for four weeks.
Their other brother Saman was also detained by the Iranian agents in September.
Mahsa Amini’s death ignited Iran’s longest protest movement in four decades, which evolved into an anti-government uprising amid a violent crackdown. Over 500 people were killed and thousands arrested.
The latest to be affected is Golsa Rahim-Zamani, an Iranian singer known for sharing her performances online.
The Islamic Republic is a theocracy which bans women from singing in public and enforces the Islamic veil or hijab on women.
The social media accounts of two other singers, Rayhaanoo and Parisa Bagheri—who performs under the name Baby Drawgon—have also been taken down, with all content removed.
This comes as part of a broader effort to limit the visibility of women vocalists, whose performances have been banned in public settings since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The latest wave of restrictions began with the arrest of singer and musician Hiwa Seyfizade on February 27.
According to social media reports, she was performing at a concert in central Tehran when plainclothes security forces interrupted the event and detained her.
Two days later, ISNA news agency reported that Seyfizade had been released on bail, but it remains unclear which security body was responsible for her arrest.
On March 2, the same day news emerged of her conditional release, Seyfizade’s Instagram page was blocked. The platform displayed a message indicating that the action had been taken by Iran’s cyber police.
A UK-based Iranian activist criticized Meta, the parent company of Instagram, writing on X: “It is truly disappointing that Mosseri, Instagram, and Meta are unable to take action against the Islamic Republic’s activities on Instagram, where it acts as a police force against the people, threatening users and seizing their accounts.”
Prominent Iranian dissident Hossein Ronaghi also responded to the account closures, saying on Telegram, "If we have committed a crime, a security institution must refer us to a court. Before that, they cannot take over our Instagram accounts under the pretext that ‘if you hand over your page, your case will be closed.’”
Despite the official ban, female singers in Iran continue to find ways to share their music—whether in private gatherings, underground performances, or online.
One such artist, Zara Esmaeili, gained widespread attention last year when a video of her singing Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black went viral. However, shortly after the video gained traction in July, Esmaeili was arrested on August 1. Since then, no further updates have emerged regarding her fate, raising concerns among women's rights advocates. Her Instagram account was also deleted after she was arrested.
The suppression of female singers is not something new in the Islamic Republic. In December, authorities detained Parasto Ahmadi and her band after they staged a performance at a caravanserai without adhering to Iran’s mandatory hijab rules.
The restrictions on female artists have escalated since the protests following Mahsa Amini’s death in custody in 2022 over hijab, as many female performers supported the demonstrations. Several have been arrested or barred from professional activities.
Artistic defiance has become a hallmark of Iran’s protest movements, with musicians such as Shervin Hajipour, Saman Yasin, and Toomaj Salehi facing arrest for their roles in mobilizing dissent.