Iranian singer Parastoo Ahmadi and eight members of her production team have reportedly been handed severe punishments following an online musical performance broadcast in 2024, triggering concern among human rights advocates and artists worldwide.
According to foreign media reports, an Iranian court has sentenced the singer and members of her production team to 74 lashes, imposed a two-year ban on travelling abroad and barred them from participating in artistic activities for two years.
The reported action stems from a live concert in which the 29-year-old singer performed the patriotic song “Az Khoon-e Javanan-e Vatan” without wearing a hijab during a performance streamed on YouTube in December 2024. The video quickly went viral on social media and was later viewed by millions of people.
Reports said that Ms Ahmadi and several musicians were briefly detained shortly after the video was published but were later released. Authorities subsequently initiated formal legal proceedings over the publication of the performance.
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Human rights activists and lawyers who reviewed court documents said the artists had been charged with offences including producing and publishing content deemed to be “against public morality.” However, official sources within the Iranian judiciary have yet to formally confirm the verdict.
Despite the absence of an official confirmation, human rights organisations have expressed serious concern over the reported punishments.
Bahar Ghandehari, a representative of the US-based Center for Human Rights in Iran, said that sentencing a woman to 74 lashes merely for singing and appearing in public without a hijab raises serious questions about the human rights situation in the country.
According to her, the case demonstrates that restrictions on freedom of expression and artistic freedoms in Iran continue to persist.
Human rights lawyer Moein Khazaili also criticised the reported verdict, arguing that under Iranian criminal law, singing or performing music by women is not, in itself, a criminal offence. He said classifying such activities as immoral content appears to lack a legal basis.
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Meanwhile, several artists, including British-Iranian actress Nazanin Boniadi and exiled Iranian actress Setareh Maleki, have spoken out in support of Parastoo Ahmadi.
Setareh Maleki said the singer’s performance had given her renewed hope and courage, adding that it demonstrated that Iranian women continue their struggle for rights and freedom.
