Continued Travel Bans on Several Artists Supporting Nationwide Protests in Iran

A member of the legal support committee for artists states that several Iranian artists are still banned from leaving the country. Mehdi Kouhian, a lawyer and member of this committee, mentioned in an interview with domestic media that while many artists have had their travel bans lifted, some are still 'dealing with this issue and are not allowed to leave the country.' This committee member refrained from naming the banned artists to respect 'individual privacy,' but noted that 'none of the judges have issued a ruling prohibiting any of the artists from engaging in artistic activities.' According to him, under Islamic Penal Code, prohibiting individuals from engaging in a specific profession is a supplementary punishment, and he is aware that no such ruling has been issued for any artists. Since the onset of the 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests, several Iranian artists have criticized the government's violent crackdown and supported the protesters. Some of these artists have been arrested for participating in demonstrations or posting protest materials online, facing pressure and travel bans. It is reported that some of them are also banned from engaging in transactions. Notably, several prominent figures, such as Manijeh Hekmat, Mani Haghighi, and Bahram Radan, publicly protested their travel bans, which received media attention. Although Mehdi Kouhian stated that no judicial ruling has been issued regarding the artistic inactivity of artists, it is said that artists supporting the protests are effectively not receiving job offers and have been unofficially sidelined. The legal support committee for artists was formed at the beginning of the nationwide protests to assist artists who have been summoned, banned from travel, banned from work, arrested, or imprisoned due to recent events or prior incidents. According to this committee, in recent months, dozens of filmmakers or members of the theater and music house have been arrested, banned from travel, and even imprisoned on various charges, including the protest music singer Tomaj Salehi. Nasir Mashkouri, a writer and music critic, recently discussed with Voice of America the reasons behind the Islamic Republic's violent crackdown on Tomaj Salehi, his concerning conditions in prison, and the necessity of supporting this rapper and other imprisoned artists, stating that Tomaj Salehi is not only a hip-hop artist but also a civil activist and revolutionary, having been active even before the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement took on its revolutionary form.