Parastoo Ahmadi has given a virtual concert in Tehran in a sleeveless dress and without a headscarf - things that are forbidden for women in Iran. The regime has opened proceedings against the singer.
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- The young singer Parastoo Ahmadi sings without a headscarf in Tehran on December 11. This is considered a breach of taboo.
- Proceedings have now been opened against Ahmadi and the band.
- A new law is due to come into force soon that will impose draconian punishments on women who take off their headscarves.
She sings Persian pop ballads, does not wear a headscarf but a long black sleeveless dress. Things that are forbidden for women in Iran. Things for which women are severely punished in Iran.
The young singer Parastoo Ahmadi did it anyway on Wednesday evening, December 11. The performance could be followed on her YouTube channel. On the sign that appears at the beginning, it says: "It is my right to sing for the country and the people I love passionately."
Ahmadi and her four-piece band are celebrated on social media for their performance in an unknown location without an audience in the Iranian capital Tehran. Within a day, the video on Youtube had received over 800,000 views, with more than 22,000 comments. There is talk of a taboo being broken, of a historic premiere and of great courage.
Proceedings opened
In response to the concert, the Islamic Republic has announced proceedings against the singer and her band. The reason: "non-compliance with legal and religious regulations", as "Mizan News", the official organ of the Iranian judiciary, writes on its website.
It also states that the concert was "illegal" as it "did not have a permit" and "did not meet the country's cultural and legal standards".
In recent years, the protest of many Iranian women against the strict Islamic laws has intensified. In the fall of 2022, masses took to the streets under the slogan "Woman, Life, Freedom" against the repressive policies of the mullah's regime. The demonstrations were violently suppressed.
However, domestic pressure on the regime has increased. Many women in the major cities are resisting the strict headscarf requirement and defying the Islamic dress code as a sign of protest and self-determination.
One student did so at the beginning of November. She was walking around in her underwear on the grounds of Azad University in Tehran. She had taken off her clothes in protest after being checked by the morality police.
New law aims to punish women with draconian penalties
The Iranian regime later announced that it would open centers in Tehran to treat women who do not want to wear the headscarf. The clinic is to be supervised by the "Center for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice". An authority that is responsible for enforcing strict religious norms.
In addition, a new law is currently being debated in Iran that threatens women with draconian punishments such as flogging, imprisonment or even execution if they defy the headscarf requirement. The new law was originally created in response to the nationwide protests against the regime.
However, as the SDA news agency reported this week, the new headscarf law should have been introduced this Friday. However, the fierce criticism led to the criminal reform apparently being put on hold again: The Security Council had reportedly come to the conclusion that the adoption of the headscarf law would have to be postponed for a few months.