Héiva Sefizadeh, an Iranian singer and vocal teacher, says she has been sentenced to four years in corrective detention for the charge of “incitement to corruption and prostitution”; all that after a performance that lasted only a few minutes, during which she sang Iranian music and recited a few verses of Saadi.

Sefizadeh remained silent for months so that her case could go through its legal process; but now she has a simple and clear question for the court: which specific conduct of hers was an instance of incitement to corruption and prostitution?

This is not only a case involving a singer; it is an example of a government that turns women’s voices, Iranian poetry, and music into a security and judicial issue.

A government that feels threatened by a few minutes of a woman’s singing does not have a problem with music; it has a problem with a woman who chooses to go on stage and reclaim her voice.

Kambiz Hosseini addresses this issue in “Barnameh”.

“An Iran Is Listening to Your Voice” Monday through Thursday at 11 p.m. Tehran time On Iran International Television

Watch the full episode of “Barnameh” on YouTube: