Iran: Regime bans female singer from stage ( First banned from certain events )

A female singer has been banned from performing with her group at a concert in Tehran.

Iranian authorities said the show would only be allowed to go ahead if Azerbaijani singer Fargana Qasimov watched her band perform from the sidelines.

The organizers of the January 13 concert at Tehran's Vahdat amphitheater had called for the ruling to be overturned, forcing spectators to wait for hours in the street before the concert began.

Once the show started, the conductor told the audience: "Nowhere else in the world are women artists treated in this way."

Asked if she had faced similar humiliation at any other concerts, Mrs Qasimov replied: "Not at all, this is the first time that I have faced this situation. I am not feeling good about it but I have to support my father when he performs," according to a report.

Iranian officials also banned photographers from the concert and has not allowed any pictures of show to appear in the media.