An Iranian court has upheld a sentence of 74 lashes for singer Parastoo Ahmadi, after she performed without a hijab in an online concert in 2024. Rights groups have condemned the punishment as torture, while campaigners say the case is part of a crackdown intended to deter women and musicians from challenging restrictions.

Ahmadi, 29, and eight members of her production team were sentenced in June in Qom; the group is expected to be flogged within three months. The court described the concert as violating Iran’s “legal and cultural norms”. The country’s 2024 hijab and chastity law provides for fines, flogging and prison terms, though it has not officially been implemented. The article also reports another singer’s four-year prison sentence and recent student protests against compulsory hijab and worsening economic conditions.