Iranian authorities arrested a female singer after she performed a virtual concert on YouTube without a hijab. Parastoo Ahmady, 27, was taken into custody in Iran’s Sari City on Saturday, days after the judiciary had filed a case against Ahmady’s her online performance. “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,” her lawyer told the Associated Press. Per Iranian law, women in the country are not permitted to appear without a hijab in front of men to whom they are not related. Women are also not allowed to sing by themselves in public in Iran. In Ahmady’s video, she sang while wearing a long black sleeveless and collarless dress, but no head covering. She was joined by four male musicians two of which were also arrested. Ahmady posted her video on Friday with the note: “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.” It has since been viewed more that 1.9 million times.
