tehran36 minutes ago
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Iran’s famous singer Parastu Ahmadi and 8 people who worked with her have been sentenced to 74 lashes each for their online concert. He has been banned from leaving the country for 2 years and from any artistic activities for 2 years.
This punishment has been given by the court of Qom province of Iran in the case of a concert published on YouTube. The court has accused the artist of publishing obscene content and violating public decency.
This matter is of December 2024. At that time, 29-year-old Parastu Ahmadi had performed a live concert on YouTube without wearing hijab. During this, he sang Iran’s popular patriotic song ‘Aj Khoone Jawanane Vatan’ (With the blood of the youth of the motherland).
The video of the concert went viral within no time. Millions of people watched it on YouTube. After the video was released, Iranian authorities briefly detained Parastu Ahmadi and several musicians. He was later released, but legal action against him for publishing the video continued.
After being uploaded on YouTube, Parastu’s song got more than 2 million views in 24 hours.
Song was seen in sleeveless dress with 4 men
Parastu Ahmadi had shared a 27-minute video, in which she was seen singing a song with four male musicians without hijab and wearing a sleeveless dress. In the caption of the video, he had described it as an imaginary concert.
The video of this program of Parastu was viewed millions of times on YouTube. Many saw it as a symbol of women’s freedom of expression, while Iranian authorities considered it against the law.
In Iran it is mandatory for women to wear hijab in public places. The authorities considered singing without wearing a hijab as a violation of the rules.
Parastu has been seen in sleevedress and without hijab in many pictures.
Women cannot sing alone in public
According to Iranian law, women cannot sing alone in public nor can they appear in front of people without hijab. Parastu Ahmadi openly challenged these long-established restrictions by performing without hijab and with bare shoulders.
Parastu first came into limelight during the anti-hijab protests in 2022. She was then accused of singing in support of the anti-hijab protest. After this, the security agencies called him for questioning and his house was also searched.
The Iranian government took action against Parastu for singing a song in support of women during the hijab protests in Iran.
Human rights organizations expressed displeasure
US based human rights organization Center for Human Rights in Iran Advocacy Director Bahar Ghandehari has strongly criticized this punishment. He says that giving a punishment of 74 lashes just for singing a song and being seen in public without hijab shows that the situation of human rights in Iran has still not changed.
Ghandehari said that the Iranian government tries to portray itself as liberal and reformist to the world, but such actions against artists reveal its true picture. According to him, there is a big difference between what the government shows and what happens on the ground.
Human rights lawyer Moin Khazaeli has also raised questions on the decision. She said that Iranian law does not consider it a crime for women to sing songs, perform in concerts or create music-related content. In such a situation, punishing these acts by terming them as crimes like spreading obscenity is also a legally weak argument.
Khazaeli says that punishment like flogging of artists, social workers or common people is not only a legal issue but also a matter of human rights. He said that many human rights organizations of the world consider flogging not as judicial punishment but as torture and inhuman treatment.
Long standing controversy over hijab in Iran
Women have been legally required to wear the hijab in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. According to law, women have to cover their heads in the presence of men. However, many women have been opposing these rules.
The issue became a topic of discussion around the world in 2022, when 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was detained in Tehran for not wearing the hijab properly. He died three days after his arrest.
The Iranian government said that his death was due to pre-existing health problems. But human rights organizations and the United Nations investigation team questioned this claim. The UN report said Amini died after being beaten by Iranian officials.
Mass demonstrations took place across Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini. Thousands of women took to the streets and raised their voice against the hijab laws. However, the government strictly suppressed these demonstrations.
There were anti-national protests in Iran for several months after the death of Mahsa Amini.
Women were punished in Iran before too
- January 2024- Roya Heshmati was accused of roaming around without hijab several times. The court sentenced him to 74 lashes. A fine of Rs 24 thousand was also imposed.
- April 2023- A man poured curd on the heads of two women for not wearing hijab. After this the police arrested both those women.
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