Iranian singer Parastoo Ahmadi and seven fellow artists have been sentenced to 74 lashes each, plus travel and activity bans, after livestreaming a concert in December 2024 without wearing a hijab. The verdict was issued by the criminal court of Qom province, according to court documents and reports from reformist Iranian outlet Emtedad.
Concert Details and Charges
Ahmadi performed haunting, mournful songs on a dimly lit stage decorated with a large Persian carpet at a traditional caravanserai complex, backed by a pianist, drummer, guitarist, and bassist, all dressed in black. She wore a long, strappy gown and deep red lipstick, violating Iran's ban on women singing in public and strict dress codes requiring a headscarf. The concert was livestreamed on Ahmadi's YouTube channel and has since garnered around three million views, with many more on reuploads.
Court documents show the group was convicted of offending public decency through the production and publication of “vulgar and immoral content” online. Along with flogging, they received a two-year ban on leaving the country and a two-year ban on engaging in artistic activities.
Detention and Social Media Reaction
Videographer Tahmineh Monzavi wrote on social media: “Two years banned from artistic activities, banned from leaving the country, and 74 lashes for all of us.” The musicians and others involved were first detained in December 2024, days after the performance, and later freed on bail. The judiciary’s Mizan Online said a case had been opened for performing “music without observing legal and religious standards”.
Emtedad reported on Thursday: “This verdict was issued by the Qom Provincial Criminal Court... The charge against them is hurting public decency by producing and publishing vulgar and immoral content on the internet.” Among the lyrics Ahmadi sang were references to young Iranians detained for protesting: “The time of wine and blossoms came, the gardens dressed in Spring. The captive birds, like my own soul that is in love with its homeland, are filled with longing.”
Broader Context of Crackdown
Legal targeting and corporal punishment of artists is a recurring feature of Iran’s crackdown on cultural defiance and women’s rights. Women are barred from singing solo in public and must follow strict dress rules. Performances like Ahmadi's are framed by authorities as a morality offence, “offending public decency” and “vulgar and immoral content” online.
