Iranian star Parastoo Ahmadi reportedly sentenced to 74 lashes for singing without hijab

Parastoo Ahmadi’s performance of the patriotic song Az Khoone Javanane Vatan (From the Blood of the Youth of the Homeland) in December 2024 has been viewed millions of times. Photograph: Hosseinronaghi View image in fullscreen Parastoo Ahmadi’s performance of the patriotic song Az Khoone Javanane Vatan (From the Blood of the Youth of the Homeland) in December 2024 has been viewed millions of times. Photograph: Hosseinronaghi Iranian star Parastoo Ahmadi reportedly sentenced to 74 lashes for singing without hijab Musicians and production team understood to be facing same punishment after livestream of patriotic song The Iranian singer Parastoo Ahmadi and eight members of a production team, including musicians, have been reportedly sentenced to 74 lashes for performing in a concert livestreamed on Ahmadi’s YouTube channel in 2024. According to court documents, the criminal court of Qom province sentenced the artists to flogging, a two-year ban on leaving the country and a two-year ban on engaging in artistic activities on charges that include offending public decency through the production and publication of “vulgar and immoral content” on cyberspace platforms. Although the official judiciary news agency has yet to publish the ruling, rights groups and lawyers who reviewed the documents said the pattern of arrests and legal cases against artists publicly defying the regime reflects a broader effort to deter cultural dissent. In December 2024, the 29-year-old singer performed the patriotic song Az Khoone Javanane Vatan (From the Blood of the Youth of the Homeland) without a hijab in a livestreamed performance that went viral. She was briefly detained along with several musicians shortly after its release before being freed. Authorities later filed a formal case over the publication of the video, which has since accumulated millions of views on YouTube. Bahar Ghandehari, the director of advocacy at the US-based Center for Human Rights in Iran, said “Ahmadi’s punishment of 74 lashes for merely singing and appearing without a hijab is yet another reminder that human rights conditions in Iran have not changed, despite the Iranian authorities’ wartime propaganda campaign aimed at improving their image.” She added that the contrast between official imagery and the prosecution of artists exposed “the gap between the regime’s propaganda and reality”. Moein Khazaeli, a human rights lawyer at Dadban, a legal counselling centre for Iranian activists, said the sentence lacked legal basis. “Singing, performing music and producing or disseminating musical works by women are not criminalised under Iranian criminal law. Consequently, such activities cannot reasonably be construed as the “production, distribution or publication of obscene content”, he said. “The imposition of a flogging sentence against artists, civil society activists or other citizens is not merely a matter of domestic criminal law. It also raises serious concerns regarding states’ international o