Iranian singer Parastoo Ahmadi has reportedly been sentenced to 74 lashes for performing without a hijab. The punishment follows a concert she livestreamed on YouTube in 2024. During the performance, Ahmadi sang the famous patriotic anthem, “Az Khoon-e Javanan-e Vatan” (“From the Blood of the Youth of the Homeland”). Since then, the video, known as the “Caravanserai Concert,” has attracted global attention.
According to human rights activists, a criminal court in Iran’s Qom province also handed penalties to Ahmadi and several musicians involved in the event. In addition to the lashes, they reportedly received a two-year travel ban and a two-year ban from artistic activities. Although the judiciary has not officially published the ruling, lawyers and rights groups say court documents accuse them of publishing “vulgar and immoral content” online.
Meanwhile, rights advocates argue that the case shows little has changed for artists and women in Iran. Bahar Ghandehari of the Center for Human Rights in Iran described the punishment as “yet another reminder that human rights conditions in Iran have not changed.” She added that the case exposes “the gap between the regime’s propaganda and reality.”
The ruling has also sparked reactions from academics and activists. Professor Fatemeh Shams called the punishment part of an ongoing struggle against women’s rights. She wrote: “Peace is not merely the silencing of missile sounds or the subsiding of bombardment flames.” Shams further argued that true peace can only exist when women are free to work, study, sing, and choose their own lifestyle without fear of punishment.
