Iranian Singer Arrested for Performing Without Hijab in Virtual Concert

Iranian authorities arrested 27-year-old singer Parastoo Ahmadi for performing without a hijab during a YouTube virtual concert. The performance, posted online, went viral with over 1.5 million views, drawing public and governmental attention.

Ahmadi was detained in Sari, Mazandaran province, following legal action initiated last Thursday. According to her lawyer, the charges were linked to a video where she expressed her passion for music and her dedication to her audience, stating, “I am a girl who wants to sing for those I love, a right I cannot ignore.”

The incident also saw the arrest of two male musicians in Tehran on the same day, signaling an intensification of restrictions on artistic freedom. Iran’s hijab laws, enforced since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, require women to wear head coverings as a religious and legal obligation.

This arrest occurs amid heightened scrutiny of women’s rights in Iran, particularly following widespread protests last year over Mahsa Amini’s death in custody, which sparked international criticism of Iran’s treatment of women and enforcement of hijab rules.