A prominent Iranian singer has had her flogging sentence confirmed by an appeals court following a performance in which she did not wear the country’s required headscarf. Parastoo Ahmadi, aged 29, performed in a sleeveless dress during a concert livestreamed on YouTube in December 2024. The video gained millions of views before Iranian authorities launched legal proceedings, characterizing the performance as a violation of national legal and cultural standards.
A criminal court in Qom issued guilty verdicts in June against Ahmadi and eight members of her band and production team on charges including offending public decency through obscene material. In addition to the flogging sentence, they received bans on audiovisual work activities and restrictions on international travel for two years. The appeals court rejected the defendants’ challenge on Friday without holding a hearing, according to their legal representatives. One lawyer stated that the initial penalty represented one of the harshest available options, noting that fines and alternative measures could have been applied instead.
The case has generated significant reaction both domestically and internationally. Exiled musician Googoosh posted on social media calling for women’s freedom to choose their clothing and for artistic expression to flourish. Fellow musician Hossein Alizadeh publicly offered to receive lashes in place of Ahmadi. Human rights organizations including Amnesty International condemned the sentence as constituting cruel and degrading punishment that violates prohibitions against torture.
The sentencing occurs within a broader context of enforcement of Iran’s mandatory dress code for women and girls. Earlier this year, activist Roya Heshmati received an identical 74-lash sentence for a social media photo showing her without a hijab. Under Iranian law based on Sharia interpretation, women must cover their hair and wear loose-fitting clothing. Widespread protests emerged in 2022 following the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after her detention by morality police for improper hijab wearing. Since those demonstrations, many women have openly rejected the dress code requirement, prompting authorities to conduct periodic enforcement operations through arrests and business closures.
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