Iran Detains Singer for Performing Without Hijab in Online Concert
Iranian authorities have arrested 27-year-old singer Parastoo Ahmady after she performed in a YouTube concert without wearing a hijab, according to her lawyer Milad Panahipour. The arrest took place on Saturday in Sari City, the capital of Mazandaran province.
Ahmady’s online concert, featuring her in a sleeveless black dress alongside four male musicians, was posted on YouTube last week and has garnered over 1.4 million views. In the video, Ahmady stated, “I am Parastoo, a girl who wants to sing for the people I love. This is a right I could not ignore, singing for the land I love passionately.”
Panahipour expressed uncertainty about the charges against Ahmady, her location, or the specific authority responsible for her arrest, pledging to pursue the matter through legal channels. He also confirmed the arrest of two musicians from Ahmady’s band, Soheil Faghih Nasiri and Ehsan Beiraghdar, in Tehran.
Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iranian law has imposed strict rules on female performances, banning women from singing solo before mixed-gender audiences. Women must also wear the hijab in public and in front of unrelated men.
