A criminal court in Iran's Qom Province sentenced singer Parastou Ahmadi and eight crew members to 74 lashes each, a two-year exit ban, and a two-year ban on artistic activity, according to Iranian news reports. The court convicted the group of 'offending public modesty' over producing and distributing content deemed obscene.
The criminal court in Iran's Qom Province has handed singer Parastou Ahmadi and eight co-defendants—crew members and musicians—a combined penalty of 74 lashes, a two-year exit ban, and a two-year prohibition on artistic activity, as The Zioneer reported at 22:21 Jerusalem tonight. This sentencing adds new detail to a case first reported at 18:24 Jerusalem, when initial accounts cited by journalist Asaf Rozentzweig (N12) indicated Ahmadi alone faced lashes; within the same minute, subsequent versions updated to confirm that all eight crew members received identical penalties.
By 22:21 Jerusalem, Iranian news reports verified that the court had convicted the group on charges of 'offending public modesty' over producing and distributing content deemed obscene. The case stems from a 2024 music video Ahmadi posted on YouTube performing the traditional song "From the Blood of the Youth" without the mandatory hijab alongside male musicians, which authorities deemed a violation of public modesty laws; the video amassed 2.9 million views. The defendants, including musicians and crew who assisted her, are expected to appeal, though Iranian judicial processes typically uphold such verdicts.
It remains unclear whether the defendants have filed an appeal to the Islamic Republic's Supreme Court, and no official court document has been published by Iranian state media beyond the initial news agency reports.
4 developments
- DevelopingIranian singer Anita sentenced to 74 lashes, passport seized
- DevelopingIran sentences Mustafa Alipour to 4 years in prison, 74 lashes for 2025 protest role
- DevelopingIranian women increasingly defy mandatory hijab laws in public, Fox News reports
- DevelopingIran reportedly allows women without hijab at Shiite mourning ceremonies in rare shift
Source and signal
- Open-source intake