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

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 Ahmady?

Parastoo Ahmady 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".