An Iranian singer, Parastoo Ahmadi, has reportedly been sentenced to 74 lashes after performing in a livestreamed concert without wearing a hijab, according to human rights advocates and legal sources.
The ruling is said to stem from a 2024 online performance broadcast on Ahmadi’s YouTube channel, where she appeared alongside eight members of a production team. During the concert, she performed the patriotic song *“Az Khoon-e Javanan-e Vatan”* (*From the Blood of the Youth of the Homeland*). The show, later referred to online as the “Caravanserai Concert,” gained wide circulation on social media.
Rights groups claim a court in Qom province handed down multiple penalties, including flogging, a two-year travel ban, and a two-year prohibition from artistic activity. The judgment has not been officially published by Iran’s judiciary media, but activists say they have seen court documents referencing charges tied to “offending public decency” through what authorities described as “vulgar and immoral content” shared online.
The case has drawn criticism from human rights advocates, who say it reflects continued restrictions on artistic expression in the country. Bahar Ghandehari, advocacy director at the US-based Center for Human Rights in Iran, said the punishment highlights a gap between official messaging and the treatment of artists and women under the law.
Commenting on the case, academic Fatemeh Shams said the sentencing points to broader patterns of state pressure on women and political expression. She argued that peace and stability cannot be separated from protection of individual freedoms and human dignity.
The reported sentence has not yet been independently verified by Iranian authorities, and no formal public statement has been issued by the judiciary regarding the case at the time of reporting.
