Iranian security services have arrested singer Parasta Ahmadi and her musicians for performing at an online concert where she was bare-shouldered and without a hijab. The singer was accused of violating the laws of the Islamic Republic, ABC News reports.
According to the singer’s lawyer, Milad Panahipour, Iranian law prohibits women from singing solo or appearing in public without a hijab. Those accused of “propagating or disseminating obscenity, refusing to wear the hijab, and behaving inappropriately” face up to 10 years in prison. In some cases, if the authorities recognize that the violation of wearing the hijab is related to “cooperation with foreign states in propaganda of violation of modesty norms,” even the death penalty.
Ahmadi’s performance, in which she exposed her shoulders and did not cover her head, was a deliberate act of defiance. After all, the girl had already participated in nationwide protests against the wearing of the hijab in the past. Her home was searched, and the singer was interrogated by security officials.
As for the current action, the online concert went viral on Iranian YouTube, with more than 1.5 million views in a day. As a result, the news spread across the world’s media, gaining wide publicity, so the head of the Mazendaran police force held a briefing and announced that singer Parasta Ahmadi had been released.
