Finn Right International Human Rights Commission, based in Pori, Finland, expresses its profound concern over the sentencing of Iranian singer Parastoo Ahmadi and eight members of her production team to 74 lashes, a two-year travel ban, and a two-year ban on artistic activities.
This sentence stems from a livestreamed concert held in December 2024, in which Ms. Parastoo Ahmadi performed without a hijab.
The verdict represents a direct and deliberate attack on artistic freedom, women’s rights, and the fundamental principles of human dignity.
Finn Right International urgently calls upon the Iranian authorities to immediately overturn this inhumane verdict and release all nine individuals unconditionally.
Case Background
In December 2024, Parastoo Ahmadi, aged 29, staged what she described as an “imaginary concert” at the historic Deir-e Gachin Caravanserai in Qom Province, Iran.
The performance was livestreamed on her YouTube channel without a live audience present.
During the concert, Ms. Parastoo Ahmadi wore a sleeveless black dress and performed without a headscarf.
She sang the deeply patriotic song “Az Khoon-e Javanan-e Vatan” translated as “From the Blood of the Youth of the Homeland” a song that speaks to national pride and sacrifice.
The video went viral almost immediately, amassing millions of views across international platforms and inspiring widespread public discussion about artistic freedom and women’s rights in Iran.
Her act was not criminal. It was courageous.
The Sentencing
In June 2026, the Criminal Court of Qom Province convicted Ms. Parastoo Ahmadi and eight colleagues on charges of “offending public decency through the production and publication of obscene and immoral content on cyberspace platforms.”
Those convicted alongside Parastoo Ahmadi include musicians Ehsan Beiraqdar (pianist) and Soheil Faqih Nasiri (electric guitarist), along with six other production team members.
All nine individuals received identical sentences:
- 74 lashes each
- Two-year ban on leaving Iran
- Two-year ban on all artistic activities
- Parastoo Ahmadi
This verdict does not represent justice. It represents the systematic silencing of women and artists in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Human Rights Violations and Legal Concerns
Flogging Constitutes Torture
The sentence of 74 lashes is not a legal punishment it is torture. Flogging is universally condemned by international human rights organizations as a form of cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment that violates the most basic standards of human dignity.
Under international law, including the UN Convention Against Torture, Iran is legally obligated to prohibit such practices.
There is no cultural, religious, or political justification that can legitimize the physical beating of a woman for the act of singing.
Finn Right International states unequivocally: flogging is torture, and torture is a crime under international law.
No Legal Basis Under Iranian Law
Human rights attorney Moein Khazaeli has clearly stated that singing, performing music, and producing or disseminating musical works by women are not criminalized under Iranian criminal law.
It therefore follows that artistic performances of this nature fall entirely outside the legal definition of obscene, indecent, or morally offensive material under any reasonable interpretation of the law.
The charges brought against Ms. Parastoo Ahmadi and her colleagues have no legitimate legal foundation even within Iran’s own domestic legal framework. This verdict is not the application of law. It is the weaponization of law against women.
Systematic Violation of Women’s Rights
The case of Parastoo Parastoo Ahmadi is not an isolated incident. It is part of a systematic and deliberate campaign by Iranian authorities to suppress the rights of women through legal persecution, public humiliation, and physical punishment.
The mandatory hijab law and sweeping restrictions on female performers constitute fundamental violations of internationally recognized rights, including:
- The right to freedom of expression
- The right to freedom of artistic and cultural participation
- The right to gender equality
- The right to freedom of movement
- The fundamental right of every human being to live without being subjected to torture, physical punishment, or any form of cruel and degrading treatment
- Parastoo Ahmadi
When a woman is sentenced to 74 lashes for singing a patriotic song, it is not morality being enforced it is fear being institutionalized.
Finn Right International’s Demands
Finn Right International Human Rights Commission urgently and formally calls upon the Iranian authorities to take the following immediate actions:
1. Immediately overturn the 74-lash sentence against Parastoo Ahmadi and all eight co-defendants.
2. Unconditionally release all nine individuals and withdraw all charges without condition or delay.
3. Lift the two-year travel bans and two-year bans on artistic activity imposed on all nine individuals.
4. Formally respect and uphold the fundamental rights to freedom of expression and gender equality as enshrined in international human rights law.
5. Immediately and permanently end the use of flogging as a form of punishment in all cases under Iranian jurisdiction.
These are not requests. These are obligations that Iran has accepted under international law and must now honor.
Call to the International Community
Finn Right International calls upon all nations, international bodies, and human rights organizations to:
- Publicly and formally condemn this verdict in the strongest possible terms
- Apply direct diplomatic pressure on the Iranian government to overturn the sentence
- Raise the case of Parastoo Ahmadi at the United Nations Human Rights Council
- Hold Iran accountable for its obligations under international human rights law
- Stand in solidarity with all Iranian women who face persecution for exercising their most basic human rights
- Parastoo Ahmadi
The international community’s silence is not neutrality it is complicity.
Conclusion
Women’s rights are human rights. Parastoo Ahmadi’s only crime was singing an act of artistic expression that should be celebrated, not criminalized. An act of patriotism that should be protected, not punished.
She sang for her homeland. Her homeland sentenced her to 74 lashes.
Finn Right International will not remain silent. We stand unconditionally with Parastoo Ahmadi, with her eight colleagues, and with every Iranian woman who has been silenced, imprisoned, flogged, or persecuted for the simple act of being free.
The verdict must be overturned. The nine must be released. And the world must ensure that this never happens again.
Finn Right International Human Rights Commission Pori, Finland finnright.
gender apartheid and women’s rights violations