An Iranian court has sentenced singer Parastoo Ahmadi and nine members of her team to 74 lashes each for performing at a concert without wearing a hijab. Ahmadi also received a two-year travel ban. The ruling can still be appealed, according to IranWire and The Jerusalem Post.

The concert happened on December 11, 2024, at a historic building called Dayr-e Gachin Caravanserai and was broadcast live on YouTube. Ahmadi performed the song "Mara Bebous" with two musicians: Ehsan Beiraqdar and Soheil Faqih Nasiri. Three days later, police arrested Ahmadi in Sari City. Prosecutors also charged her for a music video they described as inappropriate.

What makes this case unusual is that the court sentenced not just Ahmadi but also the sound engineers, camera operators, and other crew members who helped with the concert. They all received the same punishment. If upheld on appeal, they would also face professional bans that would prevent them from working in Iran's entertainment industry.

In Iran, women are required by law to wear a hijab in public. Since 2022, this rule has been enforced much more strictly. That year, a young woman named Mahsa Amini died after being arrested by police for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly, which sparked nationwide protests. Since then, Iran's courts have used flogging—a punishment written into Iran's legal code—more often against people who violate the hijab requirement.

Why did the court punish everyone on the production team, not just the singer? This strategy has become common in Iran's courts. By holding camera operators and sound engineers responsible for what the performer does, the law makes it riskier to work on any creative project that might upset the government. It's a way to discourage people from participating in performances or content that challenges official rules.

The location of the concert matters too. Dayr-e Gachin is one of Iran's oldest historic buildings, from a period when Persia was a major cultural power. By performing bareheaded in such a symbolically important place, Ahmadi made a statement that went beyond just a regular concert. It connected her action to Iran's cultural identity in a way that a simple online video could not.

What happens next depends on whether an appeals court reviews the sentence. Sometimes higher courts in Iran have reduced punishments when there is international attention, but since 2022 they have usually upheld or even increased convictions. For Ahmadi and her team, the travel ban and job restrictions may matter more right now than whether the flogging is actually carried out.