An appeals court in Iran has confirmed a sentence of 74 lashes for singer Parastoo Ahmadi, who performed wearing a sleeveless dress during a livestreamed concert on her YouTube channel in December 2024.
Ahmadi, 29, was charged by the Qom criminal court with “offending public decency” and publishing “obscene and indecent material.” In addition to the lashes, the court banned her and her band from audiovisual activities and from leaving the country for two years.
Lawyers arguing the case said the performance was not a crime and that the punishment was among the harshest for the charges, but the Court of Appeal, without a hearing, upheld the judgment, citing the need to deter similar events.
Public Reaction and Human Rights Concerns
The sentence drew international condemnation, with Amnesty International warning that flogging is cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment that violates the absolute prohibition on torture. Exiled singer Googoosh and musician Hossein Alizadeh publicly supported Ahmadi, while activists highlighted that the punishment mirrors cases such as that of Kurd‑Iranian activist Roya Heshmati, who was also flogged 74 times in January 2024.
Context of Iran’s Dress Code Enforcement
Under Iran’s Sharia‑based legal system, women above puberty must cover their hair with a hijab and wear loose, modest clothing. The 2022 death of Mahsa Amini at the hands of morality police sparked nationwide protests, and the government has since intensified enforcement of dress code laws despite ongoing conflict with the United States and Israel.
The recent court decision illustrates the regime’s willingness to impose severe penalties for perceived violations of cultural norms, even as it faces internal unrest and global scrutiny over its treatment of women and artists.
