Iranian singer Parastoo Ahmadi sentenced to 74 lashes for performing without hijab

An Iranian singer who performed without a hijab in a viral online concert has been sentenced to 74 lashes. The case has sparked condemnation from human rights groups and artists around the world.

29-year-old Parastoo Ahmadi was handed the punishment over a livestreamed performance that drew millions of viewers online. Eight members of the production team, including musicians, were also convicted in connection with the concert.

The Iranian court imposed 74 lashes, a two-year ban on leaving Iran and a two-year ban on artistic activities. The charges included offending public decency through the production and publication of what authorities described as "vulgar and immoral content" online.

The case stems from a December 2024 performance in which Ahmadi sang the patriotic song Az Khoone Javanane Vatan (From the Blood of the Youth of the Homeland) without wearing a hijab. The concert was streamed live on her YouTube channel and went viral.

Ahmadi and several musicians were detained after the performance was released. They were later freed. Authorities opened a formal legal case over the video.

Bahar Ghandehari, 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."

Human rights lawyer Moein Khazaeli also questioned the legal basis of the verdict. "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 ruling has also drawn criticism from prominent figures in the Iranian arts community.

Iranian-British actor Nazanin Boniadi said: "The sentencing of singer Parastoo Ahmadi to flogging for the simple act of singing publicly without a hijab is a stark reminder that, despite talk in Washington of a ‘new regime’ in Iran, the Islamic republic’s machinery of repression remains unchanged. Accommodating a regime that flogs women for their voices and kills citizens for demanding their rights only emboldens it to continue down its tyrannical path."

Actor Setareh Maleki described Ahmadi's performance as an act of resistance. "When I watched the video of Parastoo Ahmadi’s concert, it reignited the spirit of resistance in me. For days, I kept watching the videos over and over again, and I felt immensely proud of Parastoo," she said. "Knowing all the consequences she would have to face, she still refused to give up her right, as a woman, to live, to sing and to be heard. Iranian women never stop fighting against tyranny, not even for a moment, and that is truly remarkable."