A woman was arrested in Iran after posting a video of herself Singing without a hijab on YouTubedespite Iran's parliament's passage of a new, tougher law on women's modesty that has been criticized by rights groups.
Parastoo Ahmady posted a 27-minute long video of her concert on Wednesday, in which she performed in a sleeveless dress with her hair down along with four male musicians. In the caption, she described it as an “imaginary concert” and invited the audience to “imagine this beautiful country” in Iran.
The performance was filming in a caravanthe name for the roadside inns historically built on the Silk Road to provide resting places for merchants and travelers as they walked the ancient trade route spanning North Africa to Central Asia. Ahmady wrote that it is “where history and our legends intertwine.”
“I am Parastoo, a girl who wants to sing for the people I love,” said the caption. “This is a right I could not ignore; Singing for the land I love.”
Milad Panahipour, an Iranian lawyer, said The Associated Press that Ahmady was arrested on Saturday over the performance. He told the outlet that he was not aware of the charges against her, the group that was arrested, or where she was being held.
Iranian judges confirmed that a case had been opened into Ahmady's performance but did not specify charges against her. The statement, published by the state-run Mehr News Agency, also said Ahmady was released after an interview with authorities.
“The Mazandaran Police Information Center announced that Ms. Parastoo Ahmadi attended an information session after she posted a video that was deemed against cultural norms and values,” the agency said. “She has been asked to appear before legal authorities.” .”
Hengaw Group for Human Rights, an organization based in Norway, he said he had received a report that two of the men who were playing with her – the musicians Sohail Faghih-Nassiri and Ehsan Beyraghdar – were also arrested.
Iran's hijab laws are tightening
The harsh regimes that have ruled since Iran's Islamic Revolution in 1979 have passed laws requiring women to be veiled in the presence of men, although women have against these regulations at home and abroad.
Controversy over the issue drew international outrage again in 2022 when a young woman named Mahsa Amini was arrested outside of a subway station in Tehran for allegedly not wearing a hijab properly. The 22-year-old was dead just three days later.
The Iranian government has denied any wrongdoing in the case, claiming that Amini died of pre-existing medical conditions. Human rights groups, however, have raised doubts about that, and a The United Nations fact-finding mission said she was killed “as a result of beatings” by Iranian authorities.
Her death sparked outrage across Iran, drawing women out to protest in droves despite a violent crackdown by authorities.
The authorities who enforce modesty laws, often called the morality police, have eased public confrontations with women over veiling since the election of President Masoud Pezeshkian. earlier this year. Pezeshkian campaigned as a reformer to oppose these forms of morality policing.
But coercion has not completely stoppedaccording to locals who said the police are now being asked to issue warnings rather than take immediate action. Also known as “anti-disclosure clinics” have been established, where women are encouraged to follow the hijab laws through “treatment”.
Despite Pezeshkian's reformist approach, Iran's parliament pushed through even tougher laws on women's veils earlier this year.
The Hijab and Chastity Law was first introduced by former president Ebrahim Raisi, who died in Mayand was finally approved in September, according to Human Rights Watch. Enforcement of the law will be implemented for a three-year trial period, which the rights group said will significantly increase the penalties for women who do not comply.
This new law extends enforcement to online locations, increases fines for violations based on frequency, establishes a travel ban for offenders, and includes lengthy prison terms as punishment, said Human Rights Watch. Fines alone could be devastating for many Iranians because the country's economy has been struggling under the pressure of years of sanctions and regional conflict.
The UN Human Rights Council Experts on Friday, that the law would be repealed, describing it as “a comprehensive system of gender-based persecution.”
Pezeshkian himself criticized the law earlier this month for being difficult to enforce both reported on X and an interview on state television.
“We should not do anything that disturbs the unity and solidarity of society,” said Pezeshkian. “We need to communicate and engage in discussions about this issue.”
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
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