Parastoo Ahmadi's Lawyer Reports Her Release and That of Concert Musicians

Milad Panahipour, Parastoo Ahmadi's lawyer, announced the release of his client and the musicians from the Caravanserai concert. Parastoo Ahmadi had published a video without mandatory hijab from the 'Caravanserai concert' on her YouTube channel on December 21, which garnered over 1.3 million views in just three days and was well-received by the public and media. In an interview with the 'Shargh' news network, Milad Panahipour confirmed the release of his client, stating that around midnight last night, two male musicians from the concert who had been detained were released, and Ms. Parastoo Ahmadi was released at 3 AM. On Saturday, December 24, Milad Panahipour had reported Parastoo Ahmadi's detention in Mazandaran and confirmed the arrest of two musicians from the 'Caravanserai concert' in Tehran. Iranian media reported on Saturday night, citing the head of the Mazandaran Police Information Center, that Parastoo Ahmadi left the police building 'with her family' after being summoned. Moments later, Milad Panahipour reposted this news on his Instagram, stating: '#Lies_Forbidden'. During those hours, a source close to Parastoo Ahmadi's family confirmed in an interview with Radio Farda that despite police claims, the singer had not been released. During her detention, Parastoo Ahmadi's lawyer told the Emtehad website that the charges against her, the detaining authority, and her place of custody were unclear, and this arrest occurred while they were awaiting legal proceedings due to an ongoing judicial case. He also reported that Soheil Faghihnasiri, an electric guitarist, and Ehsan Birgadar, a pianist and arranger, were separately detained at their music school. The performance of the 'Hypothetical Concert' received widespread attention on social media. One day after the release of this music video on YouTube, the judiciary of the Islamic Republic filed charges against Parastoo Ahmadi and other involved parties. The 'Hypothetical Concert' by Parastoo Ahmadi is seen as a continuation of the public opposition of many Iranian women to the government's mandatory hijab, which, although women's rights activists in Iran have been striving to abolish for years, has gained widespread disregard following the 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests in Iran. In her Caravanserai performance, Parastoo Ahmadi wore a necklace with a map of Iran and explained, 'I, Parastoo; a girl who wants to sing for the people I love. This is a right I could not overlook; singing for the land I love dearly.' During the nationwide protests of 1401, she performed the piece 'From the Blood of the Youth of the Homeland,' which led to a judicial case being opened against her.