Joint Statement by 26 Iranian Women’s Organizations Submitted to the UN Special Rapporteur and the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran
Following the sentencing of Iranian singer Parastoo Ahmadi and eight musicians and collaborators involved in the “Caravanserai Concert” to 74 lashes, a two-year ban on artistic and musical activities, and a two-year travel ban, a joint statement was issued by 26 Iranian women’s organizations and civil society groups.
The signatory organizations strongly condemned the verdict, describing it as a blatant violation of freedom of expression, artistic freedom, cultural rights, and human dignity. The statement further emphasized that the punishment reflects the continued systematic repression of women, artists, and cultural activists in Iran. It also noted that flogging constitutes a cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment that is incompatible with Iran’s international human rights obligations.
A copy of the statement, together with formal communications, has been submitted to Ms. Mai Sato, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as to the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran.
In their letters, the signatory organizations urged these UN human rights mechanisms to publicly condemn the verdict, take all appropriate actions within their mandates, and call on the Iranian authorities to immediately revoke the sentences and prevent their implementation.
The organizations further called for the immediate annulment of all penalties imposed on Parastoo Ahmadi and the other artists involved in the case, the removal of all restrictions imposed upon them, and an end to the systematic repression of women and artists in Iran.
This collective action reflects the commitment of Iranian women’s organizations and civil society groups to defending fundamental freedoms, cultural rights, gender equality, and the rights of artists who are being punished solely for peacefully exercising their basic human rights.
Statement
Statement of the Stop Honor Killings Campaign Condemning the Sentencing of Parastoo Ahmadi and Other Artists Involved in the “Caravanserai Concert”
We express our deep concern and profound outrage at the sentencing of Parastoo Ahmadi and eight musicians and collaborators involved in the “Caravanserai Concert” to 74 lashes, a two-year ban on artistic and musical activities, and a two-year travel ban. We strongly condemn this verdict.
The “Caravanserai Concert,” which was released online in December 2024, was not a criminal act. Rather, it was an expression of artistic creativity, the right to freedom of expression, and an effort to reclaim the cultural and artistic rights of women in Iran. Punishing artists who have merely exercised their fundamental right to create and present artistic works is a clear indication of the continuation of repressive policies against women, artists, and cultural activists in Iran.
Parastoo Ahmadi, a young and courageous Iranian artist, has been subjected to repression by the judicial apparatus of the Islamic Republic solely for exercising her fundamental right to sing and perform. Holding an online concert without compulsory hijab and singing before an audience composed of both women and men is neither a crime nor a threat to public security. Rather, it is an expression of artistic freedom, creativity, and women’s right to choose.
The imposition of corporal punishment in the form of flogging against an artist in the twenty-first century constitutes a blatant violation of human dignity and is an example of cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment that is incompatible with fundamental human rights principles. This sentence is not only an attack on freedom of expression and artistic freedom, but also an attempt to silence the voices of women who stand against gender discrimination and the restrictions imposed on their lives.
We call upon all human rights organizations, cultural and artistic institutions, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, the European Union, and other democratic governments to unequivocally condemn this sentence and to utilize all available diplomatic and legal mechanisms to secure its immediate revocation.
We also call upon civil society organizations, artists, writers, academics, and women’s rights defenders around the world to raise their voices in solidarity with Parastoo Ahmadi and the other individuals convicted in this case.
We further demand the repeal of all discriminatory laws and regulations that deprive women of the right to sing, equal participation in cultural life, and the enjoyment of their fundamental freedoms.
Parastoo Ahmadi and the other convicted artists must be immediately and unconditionally cleared of all charges, and their professional and civil rights must be fully restored.
We call for the immediate annulment of this sentence, the removal of all restrictions imposed on Parastoo Ahmadi and her colleagues, and an end to the systematic repression of women and artists in Iran.
Signatories:
- Alliance of Leftist Women
- Itanian culture and Art club
- Association pour la défense des droits de l’homme et des revendications démocratiques/culturelles du peuple Azerbaidjanais-Iran – « ARC »
- Associazione donne libere iraniane – Italia
- Dallas Iranian Women’s Association
- Democratic and Secular Republican Movement of Iran
- Esmail Khoi Foundation
- Europress Federation- Belgium
- Everyday Feminism
- Forum Iranischer Frauen-Wien ( Forum of Iranian Women in Vienna(
- Human Rights Commission of the Social Democratic and Secular Republican Party of Iran
- Mothers of Laleh Park – Germany (Dortmund to Cologne)
- International Coalition Against Violence in Iran
- Iranian-German women’s association- Cologne
- Orange County Women’s Study Group
- Parto Women’s Association
- . Iranian Circle of Women for International Networking (ICWIN)
- Stop Honor Killings Campaign (SHK)
- Supporters of the Laleh Park Mothers – Fresno
20. Voice of Social Democrat Women of Iran
21. Women for Sustainable Freedom & Equality
22. Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML)
23. Women’s E-Learning in Leadership, (WELL)
24. Zanan Group in Northern California
25. Independent Committee Against Repression of Iranian Citizens – Paris
26. Human Rights and Democracy Association for Iran – Hamburg
