Iran court upholds lashes sentence for singer who performed without hijab

An appeals court in Iran has confirmed a sentence of 74 lashes handed to a prominent singer who performed without the mandatory hijab, lawyers say.

Parastoo Ahmadi sang while wearing a sleeveless dress during a concert livestreamed on her YouTube channel in December 2024 , external . Iran's laws ban public performances by women and require them to wear headscarves and modest clothing.

Iran's judiciary launched proceedings against the 29-year-old after the video went viral, gaining millions of views, saying the performance was "in violation of the country's legal and cultural regulations".

In June, a criminal court in Qom reportedly found Ahmadi and eight members of her band and production team guilty of charges including "offending public decency" through the publication of "obscene and indecent material".

In addition to being sentenced to 74 lashes, they were banned from audiovisual activities and from leaving the country for two years.

On Friday, the defendants' appeal was "rejected" by a higher court without a hearing, according to their lawyers.

"In our view, holding the concert was not a crime at all," one of the lawyers told the BBC. "The trial court imposed one of the harshest punishments for these charges, although fines and less severe penalties were also available."

"The Court of Appeal, despite having the option of holding a hearing, did not hold a hearing and upheld the judgment. It appears that the main reason for issuing this judgment was to deter the recurrence of similar events."