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Who is Parastoo Ahmadi? Iran arrests singer for not wearing hijab during online concert

Introducing herself, Parastoo Ahmadi said she wants to sing for the people she loves and it is a right she could not forsake

Parastoo Ahmady peforms during her Karavansara Concert | YouTube

Iran on Saturday arrested a female singer for not wearing a hijab while performing during an online concert on YouTube.

A case was filed against the woman on Thursday following her performance on Wednesday. Two male musicians accompanying her, Ehsan Beiraghdar and Soheil Faghih-Nassiri, were also arrested.

Who is Parastoo Ahmadi?

Parastoo Ahmadi is a 27-year-old singer from Nowshahr in northern Iran. Born in 1997, she graduated in directing from Soore University in Tehran.

Parastoo is also a pianist. She has 47,800 subscribers on YouTube and 7,300 monthly listeners on Spotify.

ALSO READ: Where is Ahoo Daryaei? Iranian female student who stripped down to her underwear 'beaten up' during arrest

In the video, the singer introduces herself: "I am Parastoo; a girl who wants to sing for the people she loves... this is a right I could not forsake."

The video shot at a caravanserai, a traditional roadside inn in Iran, had received 1.6 million views till Sunday morning.

This is not the first time Parastoo had a run in with the authorities. She performed a rendition of Az Khoon-e Javanan-e Vatan (From the Blood of the Youth of the Nation) during the 2022 anti-veil protests.

In 2022, a woman named Mahsa Amini died in custody after being arrested for violating the dress code. Several women took to streets, removing and burning their headscarves.

Earlier, a female student, named Ahoo Daryaei stripped down to her underwear to protest "abusive" dress code policing at a Tehran university.

Later, some men in plain clothes were seen bundling her into a car and driving off to an unknown location. Local reports suggested that she was admitted to a mental health facility. Amnesty International has urged the Iranian authorities to release Daryaei "immediately and unconditionally".

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