Call for Sanctions Against the Ministry of Culture: Cultural Figures Urge Non-Recognition of Censorship Institutions

A group of Iranian artists, including Persator Forouhar and Barbad Golshiri, has called for a boycott of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, urging writers and artists to not recognize the ministry and to stand against it. In a statement released by the "Art, Culture, Action" association, artists, writers, and filmmakers in Iran are asked to "not recognize the institutions of cultural oversight and control and to resist the unjust power of censorship agencies." The signatories of the statement declared that they will not seek permission from any entity, especially governmental bodies, for any of their artistic and intellectual activities, such as organizing exhibitions, publishing books and magazines, and producing shows and films. According to the signatories, the "reclamation of the right to freedom of expression and existence, and the liberation of artistic and intellectual creation from censorship, which has been fought for years," became manifest in a "broad and profound" manner during the "Women, Life, Freedom" progressive movement. The statement notes that following this movement, the cultural and artistic community in Iran has "shown that it will no longer submit to the regulations of the intrusive institutions of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Islamic Republic, and other repressive and censorship bodies." The signatories emphasized, referencing the killing of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police, that they do not consider it a coincidence that both the name of the killer of Zhina (Mahsa) Amini and the ministry of censorship of the regime are both called "Guidance." This statement was released concurrently with the 34th International Book Fair in Tehran. The fair began on Wednesday, May 10, under conditions where several prominent domestic publishers have refrained from participating. Previously, the Fajr Film Festival, the most important cinematic event in the Islamic Republic, had also been boycotted by many domestic and foreign filmmakers. Shahram Tabatabai Mohammadi, a writer and professor at the University of Toronto, previously stated to VOA that the low quality of this festival, following its boycott, has shown that good Iranian filmmakers have separated from the state and official cinema, demonstrating that they can produce films without state investment.