Iran releases songstress after brief arrest over concert without hijab

Iranian security forces arrested and released female singer Parastoo Ahmadi during the weekend, after she livestreamed aconcert without mandatory hijab in defiance of the Islamic Republic's law.

Ahmadi was arrested in Mazandaran, northern Iran, three days after she published on YouTube her unveiled performance in a caravanserai, her lawyer Milad Panahipour told Emtedad news website.

"We have no information about the charges against Parastoo Ahmadi, the arresting authority, or her place of detention," Panahipour said.

Two members of her band, Ehsan Beiraghdar and Soheil Faghih-Nassiri, were also arrested on Saturday, according to the lawyer. All three were released by Sunday morning.

On December 12, the Judiciary of the Islamic Republic issued a statement saying that the concert was held "without legal authorization and adherence to Sharia principles" and that "appropriate action" will be taken against the singer and production team.

The Caravanserai Concert, held on Wednesday night, quickly became one of the most discussed topics on Iranian social media.

Despite YouTube being restricted in Iran, the performance has attracted over 1.5 million views over the past three days, with clips widely shared online.

Ahmadi, in her introduction, described the concert as hypothetical, saying, “I am Parastoo; a girl who wants to sing for the people she loves... this is a right I could not forsake.”

Ahmadi was born in 1997 in Nowshahr in northern Iran. She is a graduate in directing from Sooreh University and spent years playing the piano and doing song covers which she shared on her Instagram page.

Iranian law prohibits women from singing solo or appearing in public without a hijab. Ahmadi’s performance, in which she bared her shoulders, challenged these long-standing restrictions.

Her earlier acts of defiance, including a rendition of Az Khoon-e Javanan-e Vatan (“From the Blood of the Youth of the Nation”) during 2022 nationwide anti-veil protests, had already brought her into conflict with authorities. Following that performance, she was summoned by security officials and her home was searched.

Artistic defiance has become a hallmark of Iran’s protest movements, with musicians such as Shervin Hajipour, Mehdi Yarrahi, Saman Yasin, and Toomaj Salehi facing arrest for their roles in mobilizing dissent. Ahmadi’s concert continues this tradition, positioning her as both an artist and an activist in a country where such roles carry significant risks.

The judiciary’s swift action shows the government’s determination to curb what it sees as cultural transgressions, even as social media amplifies these acts of resistance to global audiences.