Parastoo Ahmadi faces 74 lashes after Qom court ruling over hijab-free YouTube concert with eight team members.
Iranian singer Parastoo Ahmadi, 29, has been sentenced to 74 lashes for performing without a hijab in a livestreamed concert that has now been watched more than 3 million times.
A criminal court in Qom province handed the same punishment to eight members of her production team last week. Along with the flogging, the court imposed a two-year ban on leaving Iran and a two-year ban on any artistic work.
The case centres on Ahmadi's "Caravanserai Concert" in December 2024. She performed the historic patriotic anthem "Az Khoon-e Javanan-e Vatan" without a headscarf, and the full show was uploaded to her YouTube channel. The video quickly went viral, drawing support from fans at home and abroad.
Judges said the performance amounted to "offending public decency" through the production and publication of "vulgar and immoral" content online. The nine were convicted under Iran's Islamic Penal Code and Computer Crimes Law for appearing without hijab and sharing the footage.
A member of Ahmadi's legal team in Tehran confirmed the verdict to The Times. The lawyer stressed that the flogging has not been carried out, as the ruling remains under appeal.
Rights groups have condemned the sentence as another harsh crackdown on women artists. They argue the punishment violates basic freedoms and highlights Iran's ongoing repression of performers who defy strict dress codes.
Ahmadi was first arrested after the December concert and was later summoned by the Prosecutor's Office for Moral Security in January. For now, she and her crew remain free but cannot travel or perform publicly.
The case has reignited debate inside Iran about art, faith and personal choice and about the price singers like Parastoo Ahmadi pay for singing without a veil.
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