Iran International
A concert by famed Iranian artist Sirvan Khosravi held on the grounds of what were once the Shah’s palace in Tehran has become an emblem of the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom movement's legacy.
Videos circulating on social media show women in the audience not only discarding the compulsory hijab but dancing in unapologetically Western-style attire without a trace of enforced covering.
The scene plays out in a space once tied to Iran’s monarchy, now under the increasingly permissive gaze of the Islamic Republic.
Concertgoers are seen singing and dancing freely, acts that remain technically criminal under the Islamic Republic’s penal code and used to be harshly punished until a few years ago.
The scenes are a sharp contrast to 2023, when women were arrested at another Sirvan concert for what authorities deemed “bad hijabs.”
Mahsa Amini died in Iranian morality police custody, sparking the Woman, Life, Freedom protest movement which was crushed with deadly force but belatedly appears to have blunted Tehran's more repressive tendencies.
A new hijab and chastity law was halted by Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) in May amid concerns it could deepen tensions as geopolitical and economic pressure mount on Iranians.
Iranian freelance music journalist Bahman Babazadeh described this week’s concert as evidence of a deeper shift.
Writing on his social media accounts, he said: “The system and the Islamic Republic have learned their lesson and moved beyond many things. They are past the stupidity of canceling concerts."
"But the system has learned, and for the sake of its survival, it has moved on," wrote Babazadeh.
He also pointed to a concert by the band Bomrani in Shiraz, calling it “the beginning of a major movement for structural change” and reminding his audience that “happiness is the right of the people.”
Only days later, authorities announced Bomrani had been banned from performing in Shiraz and the wider province of Fars, accusing the group of “norm-breaking behavior” during the same show, according to Mehr news agency.
The incident underscored how precarious these cultural openings remain, subject to sudden reversals.
Not everyone sees these changes as real progress. Mercedeh Shahinkar, a Women, Life, Freedom protest survivor who was shot in the eye by security forces in 2022, believes such relaxations amount to “controlled freedoms,” designed to defuse public anger and prevent another nationwide uprising.
While the protests have sparked undeniable social shifts, she argues, the state permits them only as a calculated strategy of survival.
Still, on the eve of the anniversary of Mahsa Jina Amini’s death, the images of young Iranians attending concerts, uncovered, singing, and smiling together carry their own quiet power. For many, they stand as a reminder that her legacy lives on.
HRANA listed their names adding that they were ordered to appear before the third branch of the Sabzevar public and revolutionary prosecutor’s office within 10 days to present their final defense.
According to the report, the individuals face charges of “propaganda against the Islamic Republic,membership in a group aimed at disrupting state security, and assembly and collusion against national security.”
They were previously detained during July demonstrations in Sabzevar against rolling blackouts and water shortages, and later released on bail.
At the time, videos verified by rights groups showed residents rallying outside the governor’s office, chanting “Water, electricity, life — our absolute rights” and “If we don’t get our rights, we won’t leave.”
The summons comes amid mounting public frustration. Over the summer, Iran faced its second-driest year in five decades, with rainfall 43% below average. Widespread outages have disrupted daily life, industrial production and the economy, triggering protests in several cities such as Shiraz and Kazeroun.
In Sabzevar, protests entered a second night in July, with security forces firing tear gas at demonstrators. Footage sent to Iran International showed crowds chanting “Shameless, shameless” as they fled the crackdown.
Authorities have attributed the shortages to drought and surging demand, while critics cite years of mismanagement, sanctions and neglected infrastructure.
Fars News, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, said Café Kariz in the Nahjul-Balagha Park had become “a venue for serving alcoholic drinks, nudity, violation of trade regulations and dancing.”
It said the establishment was sealed by the Public Security Police, urging authorities to “criminalize the serving of alcohol and mixed-gender parties in commercial venues” and to act without leniency against violators or officials suspected of collusion.
Possession and consumption of alcohol are illegal in Iran, carrying punishments ranging from fines and lashings to prison sentences. Despite the ban, underground networks and discreet venues continue to supply alcohol, often at high cost and under strict secrecy, according to both state and independent reports.
Fars said police inspections would continue to target what it called norm-breaking establishments.
In recent weeks, authorities have shuttered several cafés and restaurants across Iran, citing reasons ranging from live music and mixed-gender gatherings to customers failing to observe compulsory hijab.
According to the reformist daily Ham-Mihan, official and unofficial reports indicate that over the past two months around 20 cafés, garden restaurants, and wedding halls in Tehran, Dezful, Hamedan, Kashan, and Maragh in Isfahan province have been closed for what officials described as violations related to women’s dress and mandatory hijab.
In Qom, authorities last week permanently closed a café for operating without a license and hosting live music, while in July the provincial Revolutionary Guards announced the closure of three other cafés over “multiple violations including hijab infractions.”
In Dezful, three popular cafés were sealed in early September for what police described as breaches of hijab regulations.
Amini, 22, died on September 16, 2022, after being detained by Iran’s morality police for allegedly violating mandatory hijab rules. Her death sparked months of unrest in which at least 551 protesters, including 68 children, were killed, according to rights groups, and thousands detained.
Sedigheh Vasmaghi, a scholar and writer, said in a video message that Amini’s death was “a spark that triggered a historic movement.” She added: “This movement shifted women from the margins to the center of society and showed that women are no longer sidelined.”
She argued that the protests went beyond hijab rules. “The most important achievement was that women demonstrated their power and changed the thinking of society. Today many men defend women’s rights and believe gender should not be a basis for discrimination,” she said.
Zahra Rahnavard, a Green Movement leader under house arrest, said in a statement that “Iranian women, despite their abilities, are among the most suppressed in the world” due to discriminatory laws and policies.
She described Amini’s death as “a whip across the conscience of the nation” and said the uprising “has given the nation hope for a future free of oppression, backwardness and discrimination.”
Actress Pantea Bahram, banned from working in Iran, reposted a message from Amini’s father and wrote on Instagram: “Your name is a reminder of the beginning of a new era … built with courage, fear, defiance, anger, blood and at times madness. Salute to the girls.”
Another actress barred from work, Katayoun Riahi, criticized the marginalization of dissident artists, writing: “The rule of the game is clear: you are either with us or against us. Elimination is achieved either through defamation or oblivion.” She said younger generations “will not accept these rules” and called for hope in “a brighter future.”
Narges Mohammadi, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and jailed activist, said in an interview that “the movement is alive and ongoing, and its vitality is visible in society’s fabric.”
She said women’s voluntary defiance of hijab rules has weakened state control: “The Islamic Republic no longer has the same power even to hold official events.”
