News Center_Restrictions on artistic freedoms in Iran have escalated as authorities tighten censorship on creative works, ban performances and exhibitions, and summon artists for interrogation, raising widespread concerns about the future of cultural expression in the country.

The Criminal court of Qom has issued a sentence of 74 lashes, a two-years curfew, and a two-year ban from any artistic activity against singer Parastoo Ahmadi, along with eight other participants and musicians in the “Caravanserai Concert.”

According to the ruling, these individuals were charged with “Violating public decency by producing and publishing vulgar and immoral content in cyberspace.” The head of the investigation branch rejected the defendants’ defense and issued a conviction.

In December 2024, Parastoo Ahmadi drew widespread public attention by posting a video of her musical performance titled "Virtual Concert" online. The concert, held in the city of Qom, received extensive reactions on social media platforms. In this "virtual concert," she performed on stage without wearing the mandatory hijab.

Security forces arrested Parastoo Ahmadi and other participants in the concert the day after the video was posted, and they were later released on bail.

Parastoo Ahmadi was born in 1997 in Nowshahr. She is a singer and music director, a graduate of Soura University. She had previously supported the popular uprising in Iran that erupted in 2022 by performing the song "From the Blood of the Youth of the Homeland" by the poet Aref Qazvini.