Tehran-based singer Anita Papist has been sentenced to 74 lashes by an Iranian court for posting videos online without a head covering, deemed a crime against "public decency." Papist regularly posts videos of herself singing in English and Farsi, prompting the Islamist regime's Second Criminal Court to take action.
The singer confirmed that authorities have confiscated her passport and deactivated her mobile phone. Despite being sentenced, Papist has no plans to leave Iran and seek asylum elsewhere, instead pledging her support for other artists suffering government persecution.
A local legal advocacy group described the punishment as a direct result of Papist's social media posts, violating international standards of freedom and expression. The regime generally prohibits such freedom of expression.
Reports of human rights abuses have flooded out of Iran since the nation's theocratic government began cracking down on anti-government protests earlier this year. This crackdown has been accompanied by joint American and Israeli airstrikes targeting Iranian support for terrorist organizations.
Papist has used her notoriety to bring attention to the plight of fellow singer Parastoo Ahmadi, who was sentenced to 74 lashes last month for performing in a music video without a hijab, violating Iranian laws prohibiting "obscene and immoral content.
