An Iranian criminal court has sentenced singer Parastoo Ahmadi to 74 lashes for performing without a mandatory hijab. The 29-year-old artist and eight production team members also face a two-year travel ban and a two-year prohibition on artistic activities.
The charges stem from a 2024 livestreamed concert where Ahmadi performed the patriotic anthem ‘Az Khoon-e Javanan-e Vatan.’ Authorities in Qom province accused the group of offending public decency through vulgar online content, though the official judiciary has not yet published the ruling.
Rights advocates condemn the sentence as evidence that human rights conditions remain unchanged despite Tehran’s international image campaign. Bahar Ghandehari of the Center for Human Rights in Iran stated the punishment exposes the stark gap between regime propaganda and reality.
University of Pennsylvania professor Fatemeh Shams characterized the prosecution as systemic violence against women. She argued that true peace requires ending the criminalization of female expression, asserting that governance relying on corporal punishment fundamentally violates human dignity.