Tehran: Prominent Iranian singer Parastoo Ahmadi and her band members have been sentenced to ’74 lashes’ by a court in Qom province.
Their fault — singing in a YouTube concert without wearing a hijab, a traditional headscarf worn by Muslim women.
The musicians were punished after their performance was livestreamed on Parastoo’s YouTube channel in December 2024, The Guardian reported, citing court documents.
Parastoo and several musicians were arrested shortly after the concert went online. They were released on bail, but thereafter a case was registered against the singer and her band members over the publication of the clip.
The court ordered ’74 lashes’ for the band, a two-year ban on leaving the country and a two-year curb on participating in artistic activities.
According to the Daily Mail,
The 29-year-old singer had performed a patriotic song titled ‘Az Khoone Javanane Vatan’ (From the Blood of the Youth of the Homeland), wearing a long, black sleeveless dress.
“I am Parastoo, a girl who wants to sing for the people,” the singer said with her performance livestreamed on YouTube.
The sentence is part of a ‘Hijab and chastity’ bill introduced by the Iranian Parliament last year. Under the new rule, all women –– including girls aged 12 –– must wear a hijab or face harsh punishments, according to the Daily Mail.
Punishment for violations include fines, 15-year prison sentence, or even death penalty.
Human rights activists and lawyers have slammed the court’s decision, saying it was a reflection of how women’s voices are treated as “threats”.
“One day after the US signed a deal with the Islamic Republic, the regime in Iran handed Parastoo Ahmadi 74 lashes for singing on YouTube,” said Masih Alinejad, an Iranian journalist.
“They call America the Great Satan. And then they flew to the table and signed a deal with the «Devil«. But a woman’s voice scared them more than any superpower ever could. A regime that whips women for showing their hair and singing, there’s not a normal government. This is called apartheid against women,” she added.
