Iranian singer Parastoo Ahmadi and eight members of her production team have been sentenced to 74 lashes each, along with two-year travel and work bans, over a concert livestreamed on YouTube in December 2024. The 29-year-old singer performed on stage without a headscarf and sang solo during the concert, actions that violate Iran’s post-1979 laws governing women’s dress and public performances. According to Iranian media, the group was convicted of “hurting public decency” by publishing “vulgar and immoral content in cyberspace”. The verdict was issued by a criminal court in the conservative city of Qom, where Judge Mohammad Shiri rejected the artists’ defence. The sentences, which can be appealed, have sparked criticism from human rights organisations and anger among many Iranians, who view the punishment as another example of restrictions on women’s freedoms and artistic expression. The US-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Centre described flogging as a “degrading and violent punishment”, while the Tehran-based production house Hafdang said the team was being punished simply for publishing a work of art. The concert, performed without an audience at a historic site outside Qom, has been viewed nearly three million times on YouTube.
Iranian singer Parastoo Ahmadi, team sentenced to 74 lashes over unveiled concert
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