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Iranian singer Parastoo Ahmadi, along with an eight-member production team, has been reportedly sentenced to 74 brutal lashings for performing in an online concert without wearing a hijab, as reported by the New York Post.
Along with the brutal sentence of lashes, Iranian authorities also sentenced Ahmadi and the crew to a two-year ban on leaving the country and a two-year ban on engaging in artistic activities, the New York Post further said. Parastoo Ahmadi and the other artists were slapped with the punishment by the criminal court of Qom province following a livestream performance in December 2024, the report further stated. Ahmadi sang the patriotic song 'As Khoone Javane Vatan', which translates to 'From the Blood of the Youth of the Homeland' in Persian. She performed without donning a hijab - something which is considered a symbol of religious devotion in Iran. The video reportedly prompted authorities to file a formal case, even though human rights advocates argued that the sentence has no legal grounding. The singer and other musicians were reportedly briefly detained for the livestream, which has racked up millions of views on YouTube; however, they were eventually released. "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," said Moein Khazaeli, as quoted in the report. On the other hand, Bahar Ghandehari, the director of advocacy at the US-based Centre for Human Rights in Iran, expressed concerns over the human rights conditions in Iran. "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," Ghandehari shared. (ANI)
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