Iranian singer Parasto Ahmadi has been sentenced to 74 lashes, a two-year travel ban, and a two-year ban on artistic activity after performing without a headscarf in a concert broadcast on YouTube. The sentence also applies to eight members of the production team and musicians who took part in the show.
According to HRANA, which cited BBC Persian, Iranian authorities accused the nine of producing and publishing “obscene and immoral” content online. The controversy began in December 2024, when the 1997-born singer held a live YouTube performance wearing a long black dress, with her arms and neck uncovered and no hijab, accompanied by four male musicians.
Ahmadi posted the link to the performance the day before it took place and wrote, “I am Parasto, a girl who wants to sing to the people she loves. This is a right I cannot ignore, to sing for the country I love so much.” After the concert, security forces raided her home, summoned her for questioning, and said she would face trial.
Pianist Ehsan Bayrakdar and guitarist Soheil Fakieh- Nasiri were also detained. Both were released on the evening of December 15, 2024 under judicial supervision, while Ahmadi was freed around 3:00 a.m. the next day under similar conditions. On December 23, 2024, charges were filed against them and all were released on bail. The head of the Mazandaran provincial police information center said the video was contrary to “social norms and values” and that Ahmadi was summoned to public security police and ordered to appear before judicial authorities.
