Iranian authorities arrested female singer Parastoo Ahmadi on Saturday for not adhering to the hijab code while performing in an online concert on YouTube. The arrest came just days after her Wednesday performance, where she was accompanied by two male musicians, Ehsan Beiraghdar and Soheil Faghih-Nassiri.
Know More About Parastoo Ahmadi
Parastoo Ahmadi, 27, hails from Nowshahr in northern Iran and is a graduate of Soore University in Tehran, where she studied directing. In addition to her vocal talents, she is also a skilled pianist.
Parastoo’s YouTube channel boasts 47,800 subscribers, and she has 7,300 monthly listeners on Spotify. Her video, shot at a traditional roadside inn known as a caravanserai, had garnered 1.6 million views by Sunday morning. In the video, Parastoo introduces herself, saying, “I am Parastoo; a girl who wants to sing for the people she loves… this is a right I could not forsake.” This is not her first brush with the authorities; in 2022, she performed a rendition of “Az Khoon-e Javanan-e Vatan” during the anti-veil protests following the death of Mahsa Amini in custody, who was arrested for a similar violation of the dress code.
The arrest highlights the ongoing tensions in Iran over the enforcement of strict dress codes. In 2022, another woman, Ahoo Daryaei, made headlines when she stripped down to her underwear to protest what she described as abusive dress code policing at a Tehran university. Daryaei was later detained by men in plain clothes and reported to be held in a mental health facility. Amnesty International has called on Iranian authorities to release Daryaei immediately and unconditionally.
This incident underscores the ongoing struggle for personal freedoms in Iran, particularly in the arts, where musicians and performers continue to face significant challenges in expressing themselves without fear of arrest or censorship. Parastoo Ahmadi’s case is another stark reminder of the pressures faced by those in the public eye who challenge the country’s restrictive laws.
