Iran arrests singer after she performed virtually without a hijab

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iranian authorities have arrested a female singer who performed a virtual concert on YouTube, a lawyer says.

Milad Panahipour, an Iranian lawyer, says Parastoo Ahmady, 27, was arrested today in Sari City, the capital of the northern province of Mazandaran.

On Thursday, the judiciary had filed a case regarding Ahmady’s concert performance, in which she performed in a long black sleeveless and collarless dress, but no hijab. She was accompanied by four male musicians.

Ahmady had posted her concert on YouTube the day before, saying: “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.”

The online concert has been viewed more than 1.4 million times.

Panahipour tells The Associated Press: “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.”

He also says two musicians in Ahmady’s band — Soheil Faghih Nasiri and Ehsan Beiraghdar — were arrested in Tehran today.

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