Ryan Shajarian on Instagram

It was in 2009 when Shajarian reasserted himself as a popular icon who sided with people when they needed him. In the aftermath of the disputed 2009 presidential election, which saw the controversial re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Shajarian objected to the broadcasting of his songs on the state TV synched with celebratory, propaganda footage of the hardliner president.Ahmadinejad, disliked by many middle-class Iranians, was seen to have rigged the vote, in an election the entire political, military and media apparatus of the state had mobilized to secure his re-entry to the presidential palace, and Shajarian’s objection was enough for his voice to be permanently banned from state TV.