Iranian Composer Receives UN Award for 'Courageous' Work

Mehdi Rajabian, a dissident Iranian composer, has won the United Nations International Art Contest for Minority Artists.

This annual award is given to three artists who address "topics related to the intersectionality of various forms of discrimination and compound discriminations."

Rajabian is the first composer to win this award. A visual artist from Nigeria and a painter from Spain were the two other winners of the award this year.

"Happiness is a collective event, and unfortunately, no one is happy here [Iran]. The situation has changed completely after the recent protests. No award can be a criterion for determining an artist's artistic value, but it can certainly be a platform for the voice of human rights and artistic freedom,” said Rajabian in response to his win.

The UN Art award was presented to Mr. Rajabian in absentia because he is restricted from leaving Iran.

The artist has been detained and faced prison sentences in previous years because of his work. Rajabian was arrested in 2013 for releasing underground music and was charged with “propaganda against the government”. He was put in solitary confinement for three months and then released on bail.

Rajabian was again arrested in 2015 for his album The History of Iran Narrated by Setar, a lute-like instrument used in traditional Persian music.

In Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, Rajabian began a 40-day hunger strike that led to his release on parole in 2017.

Rajabian was arrested again in 2020 for his album Middle Eastern but did not spend time in jail and was released on bail. He was accused of “encouraging prostitution” because females were singing in the album.