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Iranian singer sentenced to 74 lashes for singing, rights groups say

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Iranian singer Anita Papist received a sentence of 74 lashes for "offending public decency" by singing.
  • Her passport was confiscated and phone blocked, actions rights groups say violate freedom of expression.
  • The sentence follows a crackdown on female singers, with a similar case involving singer Parastoo Ahmadi.

Tehran-based singer Anita Papist has been sentenced to 74 lashes for "offending public decency" by a court in Tehran, according to announcements from the musician and Iranian rights groups. Papist, who posts videos online singing in English and Persian without a head covering, confirmed her passport was confiscated and her mobile phone blocked. The Iranian legal advocacy group Dadbaan stated these punishments were imposed solely for her online artwork.

Dadbaan noted that singing and music production are not inherently crimes in Iran. The group argued that Papist's sentence conflicts with Iran's international obligations regarding freedom of expression, cultural activities, and the prohibition of cruel, inhuman, or degrading punishment. In recent months, Iran has significantly increased its crackdown on female singers, even illegally accessing artists' social media accounts to post legal messages without consent.

every woman who creates with her art and deserves respect. Let’s stand with artists, not against them. No injustice.

— Anita Papist (via social media)Papist shared an image on her Instagram story, created by a follower, expressing solidarity with artists facing injustice.

Papist, expressing gratitude to her fans, shared an image with tape over her mouth, captioned "every woman who creates with her art and deserves respect. Let’s stand with artists, not against them. No injustice." She insisted she was not seeking asylum abroad and made her sentence public to support Iranian singer Parastoo Ahmadi. Ahmadi and her team were recently ordered to receive 74 lashes each for allegedly offending "public decency" through a video of Ahmadi singing a nationalist song without a hijab.

Iranian-American journalist Masih Alinejad criticized the sentence, stating, "In the middle of a war, the Islamic Republic still finds time to flog this young woman for music." She described the regime's actions, confiscating passports, blocking phones, and silencing voices, as "gender apartheid."

In the middle of a war, the Islamic Republic still finds time to flog this young woman for music. Anita Papist, a young Iranian singer, has been sentenced to 74 lashes. Her crime? Singing and uploading her video on Instagram. The regime confiscated her passport. Blocked her phone. Now they want to silence her voice. This is called gender apartheid. A total aparthei

— Masih AlinejadIranian-American journalist and activist Masih Alinejad commented on Papist's sentence on social media.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Jerusalem Post in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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