Iran sentences singer Parastoo Ahmadi and seven other artists to 74 lashes for performing online without hijab

The performance

In December 2024, Iranian singer Parastoo Ahmadi, 27, broadcast a half-hour concert on her YouTube channel from an empty hall adorned with a Persian carpet. She wore a long black strap dress, shoulders bare, dark lipstick, and no hijab - a direct challenge to Iran's compulsory covering laws. Accompanied by four musicians on piano, drums, guitar, and bass, all dressed in black, she performed songs that referenced young Iranians arrested for protesting authorities. The video garnered 3 million views on YouTube and spread further across social media.

“I am Parastoo, a girl who wants to sing for the people she loves. It's a right I couldn't give up: to sing for the country I love so passionately.”

Arrest and legal proceedings

Within days of the broadcast, Ahmadi, videographer Tahmineh Monzavi, the musicians, and other production members were arrested. Local media reported they were released on bail shortly after. Iran's judicial news site Mizan Online stated that a lawsuit was filed for performing music "without respecting legal and religious standards." The case moved to a court in Qom province.

The sentence

On 18 June 2026, the Qom provincial criminal court sentenced Ahmadi and seven other participants - including Monzavi and the musicians - to 74 lashes each, a two-year ban on leaving Iran, and a two-year prohibition on all artistic activity. The verdict, reported by the Iranian outlet Emtedad and later confirmed by The Guardian, cited "offense against public decency by producing and publishing vulgar and immoral content online." Monzavi posted on Instagram: "Two years' ban on any artistic activity and leaving the country, and 74 lashes for all of us." The official judiciary website Mizan has not yet confirmed the ruling.

Symbol of resistance

The case has amplified the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement that erupted after the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini in morality police custody. Ahmadi's performance, described by exiled dissident Masih Alinejad as an act of courage, became a viral symbol. The hashtag #ParastooAhmadi spread widely, with supporters framing the concert as a new act of defiance against the regime's restrictions on women singing and dressing in public.