Iranian singer Parastoo Ahmady was arrested by authorities after performing a virtual YouTube concert without a hijab.
According to the Associated Press, the 27-year-old was taken into custody in Sari City on Saturday.
On Thursday, the judiciary had filed a case over the concert, which featured Ahmady in a sleeveless, collarless dress without a hijab. She was also accompanied by four male musicians, two of whom were also arrested in Tehran on Saturday.
Ahmady’s concert has been viewed nearly 2 million times. She uploaded the video on Friday with a message written in English, “I am Parastoo, a girl who wants to sing for the people I love. This is a right I could not ignore; singing for the land I love passionately.”
Ahmady’s lawyer, Milad Panahipour, told the AP that details surrounding her arrest were unclear.
“Unfortunately, we do not know the charges against Ms. Ahmady, who arrested her, or her place of detention, but we will follow up on the matter through legal authorities,” said Panahipour.
Iranian law prohibits women from singing or dancing solo before mixed-gender audiences or appearing without a hijab in public. Women are also not allowed to appear without a hijab in front of men who they’re not related to.
These restrictions stem from Islamic laws enforced since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, when the hijab became a mandatory and politically symbolic garment, the AP explains.
The arrests highlight a renewed strict enforcement of Islamic dress codes after the 2022 protests over Mahsa Amini’s death, who was arrested by Iran’s morality police for allegedly not wearing her hijab.
Amini’s death initially led to more lenient enforcement by authorities, who were possibly trying to avoid wider protests. Per the AP’s reporting, the authorities’ tone has changed in recent weeks.
