Iran’s appeals court has confirmed a 74‑lash sentence against singer Parastoo Ahmadi, who performed in a sleeveless dress without wearing a hijab during a YouTube livestreamed concert in December 2024.
The 29‑year‑old was charged after the video went viral, drawing millions of views. Authorities said the performance violated Iran’s legal and cultural regulations that bar women from public musical appearances and require modest dress and head coverings.
A criminal court in Qom found Ahmadi and eight members of her band guilty of “offending public decency” by publishing “obscene and indecent material.” They were sentenced to 74 lashes, barred from all audiovisual work, and prohibited from leaving the country for two years.
The appellate court dismissed the defendants’ appeal without a hearing, citing a need to deter similar acts. Lawyers declared the punishment harsh, noting that less severe penalties could have applied.
Public reaction on social media was swift. Exiled singer Googoosh urged an end to “dark days” and the return of artistic freedom, while musician Hossein Alizadeh offered to take 70 lashes on Ahmadi’s behalf.
Human‑rights organizations escalated condemnation. Amnesty International warned that flogging is a form of cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment that violates the prohibition on torture. In January 2024, Kurdish‑Iranian activist Roya Heshmati was similarly flogged 74 times after a social‑media photo showed her without a hijab.
Under Iran’s Sharia‑based law, women over puberty must cover their hair and wear loose, modest clothing. The enforcement of these rules intensified following the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, a 22‑year‑old Kurdish woman detained by morality police for allegedly wearing her hijab incorrectly. Nationwide protests erupted, with many women defying dress codes; authorities responded with arrests, business closures and further crackdowns.
Conservative officials, including Expediency Council member Gholamali Haddad‑Adel, cited Iran’s conflict with the US and Israel as a reason for limiting dress‑code enforcement. Recent protests over the country’s economic crisis and subsequent military tensions have further heightened tensions within Iran’s society.
