Iranian singer arrested after performing without scarf

A prominent female Iranian musician who performed without a headscarf in defiance of the hard-line Islamist regime's strict rules has been arrested along with two of her band members.

Parastu, the musician, broke several harshly enforced taboos by leaving her head uncovered and wearing a dress in the performance, which was recorded and uploaded to YouTube.

Her lawyer, Milad Panahipur, said on Saturday that she had been arrested by Iranian authorities in the north of the country, while two musicians from her band were arrested at their music studio in Tehran.

The lawyer told the news portal Emtedad that he doesn't know where the three are being held and that they appear to have no contact with the outside world.

People at home and abroad had praised the woman in online media for her courageous action, which challenged Iran's strict interpretation of Islamic law and dress codes for women.

The repression of women has prompted repeated protests against the Iranian regime in recent years, including a major wave of mass demonstrations in 2022 following the death of a Kurdish Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini, at the hands of the country's morality police.

Iran's government eventually ordered a harsh crackdown on the protests, and sentenced many leading activists to death. Many women in the major cities are now resisting the Islamic dress code in protest, particularly the compulsory headscarf.

Iran's parliament, which is dominated by Islamic hardliners, now wants to take action against this with a new law and draconian punishments.