A court in Iran's Qom province has sentenced popular singer Parastoo Ahmadi and eight members of her creative team, including musicians, to 74 lashes. The verdict also includes a two-year ban on leaving the country and a two-year prohibition from artistic activities.

The charges stem from a concert streamed live on the singer's YouTube channel in 2024. Iranian authorities accused the artists of insulting public morality by creating and publishing “vulgar and immoral content” online.

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. The video went viral, amassing millions of views. Shortly after the broadcast, Ahmadi and several musicians were briefly detained, and later a criminal case was officially opened.

Advocacy Director of the US-based Center for Human Rights in Iran, Bahar Ghandehari, stated that the punishment of 74 lashes for singing without a hijab is yet another reminder of the unchanged human rights situation in the country, despite government propaganda. Human rights lawyer Moin Khazaeli added that the sentence lacks legal basis, as women performing music is not criminalized under Iranian criminal law.

Iranian-British actress Nazanin Boniadi commented that the Islamic Republic's repressive machinery remains unchanged, while actress Setareh Maleki, who was forced to leave Iran after starring in the Oscar-nominated film “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” called Ahmadi's performance an important act of resistance and a symbol of hope for all women in Iran.

Source: podrobno.uz