Iranian singer Parastoo Ahmadi sentenced to 74 lashes for performing without hijab

Iranian singer Parastoo Ahmadi and eight members of her concert team were sentenced by a court in the Kerm province to 74 lashes each, a two‑year ban on leaving the country and a two‑year prohibition on any artistic activity. The punishment follows a live‑streamed December 2024 concert in which Ahmadi performed without a hijab, an act the authorities deemed a violation of public morality and the dissemination of “immoral content.”

Human‑rights organisations have condemned the lashes as a form of torture and a breach of international law, warning that the case highlights the Iranian regime’s continued repression of women’s freedoms and artistic expression.