Full Breakdown
Iranian Singer Parastoo Ahmadi Sentenced to 74 Lashes for Hijab-Free Livestream
6/19/2026, 6:22:39 AM
Sentencing Overview
The Qom Provincial Criminal Court sentenced singer Parastoo Ahmadi, 29, and eight members of her production team—including musicians Ehsan Beiraqdar and Soheil Faqih Nasiri—to 74 lashes each, a two-year travel ban, and a two-year prohibition on artistic activity. The verdict follows a December 2024 YouTube livestream in which Ahmadi performed the patriotic anthem “Az Khoone Javanane Vatan” without a hijab; the video attracted roughly three million views. Authorities charged the group with “offending public decency” and “producing, sending, distributing and publishing vulgar and immoral content” online, invoking Article 638 of the Islamic Penal Code and Article 743 of the Computer Crimes Law. The court described the conduct as “offending public decency through the production and publication of vulgar and immoral content on cyberspace platforms.” The judiciary’s official news agency has not published the ruling.
Context and Actors
Iranian law requires women to wear a hijab and forbids solo female singing before mixed-gender audiences. Since the 2022 Mahsa Amini protests, the regime has expanded crackdowns on cultural dissent, arresting artists and imposing travel bans. Human-rights NGOs—including the Center for Human Rights in Iran, Dadban, and Amnesty International—have highlighted the case. Diaspora critics such as actor Nazanin Boniadi and journalist Masih Alinejad have publicly condemned the sentence.
Opposition and Gaps
Human-rights lawyer Moein Khazaeli (Dadban) argues that women’s singing is not criminalised, making the “obscene content” charge legally unfounded. Bahar Ghandehari (Center for Human Rights in Iran) calls the punishment a reminder that Iran’s human-rights conditions have not improved. Sources differ on the livestream date (December 2024 vs. December 2025) and on whether eight or nine individuals were sentenced. The lack of an official publication leaves enforcement and appeal procedures unclear.
Verbatim Quotes
1. “offending public decency through the production and publication of vulgar and immoral content on cyberspace platforms.” — Qom Provincial Criminal Court
2. “Ahmadi’s punishment of 74 lashes for merely singing and appearing without a hijab is yet another reminder that human rights conditions in Iran have not changed, despite the Iranian authorities’ wartime propaganda campaign aimed at improving their image.” — Bahar Ghandehari, Director of Advocacy, Center for Human Rights in Iran
3. “Singing, performing music and producing or disseminating musical works by women are not criminalised under Iranian criminal law. Consequently, such activities cannot reasonably be construed as the ‘production, distribution or publication of obscene content’,” — Moein Khazaeli, Human Rights Lawyer, Dadban
4. “The Iranian-British actor Nazanin Boniadi said: “The sentencing of singer Parastoo Ahmadi to flogging for the simple act of singing publicly without a hijab is a stark reminder that, despite talk in Washington of a ‘new regime’ in Iran, the Islamic republic’s machinery of repression remains unchanged.” — Nazanin Boniadi, Iranian-British Actor
Outlook
Human-rights groups will monitor enforcement and any appeal, while international NGOs continue to demand an end to flogging and protection for artistic expression. The case may shape how other Iranian artists approach public performance.
