Singer Parastoo Ahmadi and Members of the “Caravanserai Concert” Team Sentenced to Flogging and Ban on Artistic Work

Submission Statement:

Iranian authorities have sentenced singer Parastoo Ahmadi to a punishment of 74 lashes for performing in a YouTube video that has racked up 2.9 million views over the last two years. Ahmadi sang the well-known patriotic song From The Blood Of The Youth to an empty theater space in 2024 with the help of eight musicians and crew. They have also been sentenced to flogging, a travel ban, and a prohibition on any “artistic activities” for the next two years. Ahmadi was accused of “offending public decency” after she performed without a hijab, the head covering mandated by Iranian morality police.

This cruel and unusual punishment goes against the tenets of neoliberalism, which endorse freedom of expression, free speech, freedom of assembly, and equal rights for women and girls.

https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-singer-sentence-flogging-morality-police-ban-women-life-freedom-hijab-concert-youtube/33783873.html