Iranian singer Parastoo Ahmadi has reportedly been sentenced to 74 lashes after performing in an online concert without wearing a hijab, according to media reports and human rights groups.
The reported punishment stems from a concert livestreamed on Ahmadi’s YouTube channel in 2024, in which she appeared without the mandatory headscarf while performing alongside four male musicians. The video later garnered millions of views online.
According to a report in The Guardian, Ahmadi and eight members of her production team, including musicians, were handed the sentence by a criminal court in Iran’s Qom province. The court also reportedly imposed a two-year ban on leaving the country and barred them from engaging in artistic activities for the same period.
The artists were accused of violating public decency laws by producing and sharing what authorities described as “vulgar and immoral content”. The ruling has not yet been officially published by Iran’s judiciary news agency.
Human rights organisations and legal experts have condemned the reported sentence, calling it an attack on freedom of expression and women’s rights.
Bahar Ghandehari of the US-based Center for Human Rights in Iran said the punishment underscored the continuing restrictions faced by women in the country.
“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,” she told The Guardian.
Journalist and activist Masih Alinejad described the reported flogging as evidence that Iranian authorities continue to treat women’s voices as a threat.
The controversy dates back to December 2024, when Ahmadi performed the patriotic song Az Khoone Javanane Vatan (“From the Blood of the Youth of the Homeland”) in an online concert. Soon after the video went viral, Ahmadi and several members of her team were briefly detained before being released. A formal case was subsequently registered against them.
Human rights lawyer Moein Khazaeli said Iranian law does not explicitly criminalise women singing or producing music and argued that corporal punishment raises serious concerns under international human rights obligations.
