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 on charges of 'offending public modesty' over the production and distribution of content deemed obscene and immoral.
The Qom criminal court has now added a two-year artistic ban and a two-year exit ban to the sentence against singer Parastou Ahmadi and eight crew members, according to Iranian news reports cited earlier by journalist Asaf Rozentzweig (N12). The full penalty, reported Thursday evening local time, means Ahmadi faces 74 lashes, a two-year prohibition on all artistic activity, and a two-year travel ban — penalties that also apply identically to the eight musicians and crew members who assisted in the production. The court convicted the group on charges of 'offending public modesty' over the production and distribution of content deemed obscene and immoral.
As The Zioneer reported on Thursday at 18:24 Jerusalem, the initial reports of the sentencing already included the 74 lashes and the two-year artistic and travel bans. By the same timestamp, subsequent coverage from Rozentzweig confirmed that the full scope of the penalty — including the identical sentences for the eight crew members — had been upheld by the court. The case follows a 2024 YouTube performance by Ahmadi, posted under the title 'Qarun Ensemble,' in which she appeared without the mandatory hijab alongside a male band. The video accumulated 2.9 million views before her arrest.
The case highlights the continued strict enforcement of Iran's dress code and censorship laws against cultural figures, particularly since the 2022 'Woman, Life, Freedom' protests, as The Zioneer has previously reported.
It remains unclear whether Ahmadi or any of the crew members plan to appeal the verdict, and no date has been set for the carrying out of the lashing sentence.
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