Iranian singer Parastoo Ahmadi sentenced to flogging

A criminal court in the Qom province of Iran has sentenced 29-year-old singer Parastoo Ahmadi and eight members of her production team to 74 lashes each. The charges stem from a live-streamed YouTube concert in December 2024, during which Ahmadi performed the patriotic song "Az Khoone Javanane Vatan" without wearing a hijab. The court found the group guilty of insulting public decency and publishing vulgar and immoral content online. In addition to the corporal punishment, the court imposed a two-year ban on the group members from leaving the country and a two-year suspension of all artistic activities. The performers were initially detained shortly after the video went viral but were later released before the final verdict. Human rights organizations, including the US-based Center for Human Rights in Iran, have condemned the sentencing as evidence of ongoing suppression of human rights in the country.