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Iranian singer Parastoo Ahmady arrested after YouTube concert without veil VIDEO

Arrested in Sari City for violating Islamic rules

Iranian authorities arrested 27-year-old singer Parastoo Ahmady after she performed in a virtual concert on YouTube. According to Milad Panahipour, the singer’s lawyer, the arrest took place in Sari City, capital of the northern Iranian province of Mazandaran. Ahmady was accused of violating Islamic rules by performing without a veil and with bare shoulders.

The performance and the charges

Two days before her arrest, the Iranian judiciary had opened a case against Parastoo Ahmady for the concert in which she performed wearing a long, tight-fitting black dress without a headscarf, accompanied by four male musicians. This attire openly violated the rules imposed by the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Ahmady’s words

Parastoo Ahmady had posted her concert on YouTube the day before her arrest, saying: ‘I am Parastoo, a girl who wants to sing for the people I love. This is a right I could not ignore: to sing for the land I love passionately’. Her words highlight her desire to express her art freely, despite the severe restrictions imposed by the regime.

Reactions and context

Ahmady’s arrest provoked international reactions, with many seeing this act as a further repression of freedom of expression in Iran. The situation is part of a broader context of tensions between the Iranian government and dissident voices seeking to challenge the country’s strict social and cultural regulations.

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