Iranian singer Parastoo Ahmadi was reportedly sentenced to 74 lashes after appearing without a hijab in an online concert, according to court material described by lawyers and human-rights organisations. The same accounts said a criminal court in Qom province imposed two-year bans on foreign travel and artistic work.
The official judiciary news service had not published the judgment as of the event date. That absence meant the reported punishment and charges had not been confirmed through an Iranian judicial announcement. Euronews attributed the details to activists and people who had seen court documents, and the claims should be understood in that context.
Ahmadi, 29, performed with eight production-team members in a concert streamed through her YouTube channel in 2024. The programme, known as the Caravanserai Concert, included a historic patriotic song and circulated widely online. Women in Iran are subject to mandatory hijab rules, and the absence of a head covering became central to the case.
The reported court documents accused Ahmadi and several musicians of offending public decency by producing and distributing content characterised by authorities as immoral. The evidence supplied for this report did not state whether the sentences were immediately enforceable, suspended or subject to appeal. It also did not give a separate disposition for every member of the ensemble.
Human-rights advocates treated the case as evidence of continuing pressure on women and artists. Bahar Ghandehari directs advocacy for the Center for Human Rights in Iran, an organisation based in the United States. She argued that the reported flogging contradicted efforts by Iranian officials to present a softer image. Her comments framed the ruling as part of a broader system of cultural and gender restrictions rather than an isolated prosecution.
University of Pennsylvania academic Fatemeh Shams, who teaches Persian literature, also condemned the reported sentence. She argued that peace and public order cannot be separated from women's ability to study, work, perform and choose how they live, and criticised silence about punishments directed at women and political protesters.
Because no official judgment was available in the supplied evidence, the report does not present the sentence as independently verified. The central established facts are that the 2024 performance was publicly streamed and that lawyers and rights groups said court records showed corporal punishment and two separate two-year restrictions. Publication by the judiciary or further legal filings would be needed to clarify the final status and any appeal.
Ahmadi’s choice of a nationally resonant song also helped the concert reach an audience beyond ordinary entertainment coverage. Yet the legal account centred on presentation and publication online. The case consequently combined controls on women’s dress with restrictions on performance, distribution and artistic employment.
