Iran | Iranian star Parastoo Ahmadi sentenced to 74 lashes for singing without hijab on YouTube

Iranian Court Imposes Flogging Sentences on Musician and Production Team

The criminal division of the Qom provincial court has handed down 74-lash sentences to Iranian performer Parastoo Ahmadi and eight production staff members, according to legal assessments released this week.

The sentencing concludes a case initiated after a December 2024 YouTube livestream, in which Ahmadi performed an “imaginary concert” at a historic caravanserai without wearing a mandatory head covering.

Beyond the corporal punishment, the court has mandated a two-year ban on the defendants leaving the country and a two-year prohibition on all professional creative work.

The charges filed against the group centered on allegations of producing “vulgar and immoral content” that violated public decency standards. However, the verdict is facing intense scrutiny from legal practitioners who argue the ruling is incompatible with the state’s own penal framework.

In a recent assessment of the proceedings, human rights attorney Moein Khazaeli of the legal collective Dadban argued that the charges lack a statutory foundation. Khazaeli asserted that Iranian penal law does not explicitly classify musical performance by women as a crime. From his perspective, labeling the concert as an act of distributing “obscene” material constitutes a deliberate misapplication of the law to achieve a predetermined punitive outcome.

The verdict has drawn condemnation from international advocacy groups, who frame the punishment as a signal that the Iranian judiciary remains committed to aggressive social regulation. Bahar Ghandehari, a lead advocate at the Center for Human Rights in Iran, observed that the ruling functions as a refutation of any claims that state repression is softening. Ghandehari noted that the state’s insistence on prosecuting a performance—which many viewers interpreted as a form of cultural advocacy—illustrates a continued prioritization of ideological control over individual liberty.

The sentencing has also prompted broader commentary on the regime's stance toward female creative autonomy. Notable figures, including activist and actor Nazanin Boniadi, have cited the case as a clear illustration of the state’s enduring reliance on intimidation. Boniadi described the court’s focus on criminalizing a simple performance as evidence of a systemic campaign against women’s participation in public life.

As of June 20, 2026, the official verdict has not been promulgated by the judiciary's information portals, and the defendants have remained silent regarding the court's decision. Legal monitors are now observing the case to determine if an appeal will be filed or if the implementation of the sentence will proceed. For observers of Iran’s judicial climate, the case stands as a significant marker in the ongoing conflict between emerging digital artistic expression and traditional state codes.

Parastoo Ahmadi (born in 1997) is an Iranian artist, singer, and composer known for her work in folk and traditional Iranian music.

Ahmadi gained significant international attention for her role in challenging restrictions placed on female performers in Iran. Key milestones in her career include "The Air of Freedom" (2023), dedicated to the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement, and "Caravanserai Concert" (2024), during which Ahmadi staged and livestreamed an "imaginary concert" at the historic Dayr-e Gachin Caravanserai. During the performance, she appeared without a head covering (hijab), which is mandatory in Iran. The concert featured several pieces, including Az Khoone Javanane Vatan ("From the Blood of the Youth of the Homeland"), and garnered millions of views on YouTube.

Source: DPN, Wikipedia, News outlets, Staff, AI, June 20, 2026

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."
— Oscar Wilde

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