Iran sentences singer and photographer to 74 lashes

Tehran's Second Criminal Court sentenced singer Anita Papist to 74 lashes for "offending public decency" after she performed without a hijab, confiscated her passport and blocked her phone. Rights group Dadbaan said the punishment conflicts with Iran's international obligations on freedom of expression and prohibition of cruel punishment.

Documentary photographer Tahmineh Monzavi, who captured a concert of dissident singer Parastoo Ahmadi, was also sentenced to 74 lashes, received a two‑year travel ban and a two‑year restriction on artistic activity. Authorities charged her with "offending public decency" for filming the performance. Both cases illustrate Iran's intensified crackdown on women artists and the use of corporal punishment to enforce strict dress codes.

Human‑rights advocates have condemned the sentences as violations of cultural freedom and have called for international attention to the repression of artistic expression in Iran.