Ejei's Attack on the Minister of Culture: We Cannot Neglect Our Duties

The First Deputy of the Iranian Judiciary emphasized the duty of this branch to confront "manifestations of corruption and vice" and, while implicitly referring to the cancellation of licensed concerts, accused some officials of promoting corruption and vice, stating that a license "may not have been issued based on Islamic and legal mandates." Particularly in the past year, the issue of canceling concerts that had received licenses from the Ministry of Culture but were prevented from being held by the Iranian police has become newsworthy and has drawn criticism. In an effort to resolve this issue, Ali Jannati, the Minister of Culture of the Islamic Republic, announced on Tuesday, June 23, his agreement with the Minister of Interior to clarify the duties and responsibilities of the Ministry of Culture and the police so that "there will be no problems for holding concerts in the future." However, it seems that the Deputy of the Judiciary does not accept the Minister of Culture's solution. According to the official news agency of the Judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei stated on Thursday evening, July 4, "If we witness manifestations of corruption and vice being promoted out of negligence by some custodians, we have a duty to confront it." He added, "Some say, for example, that a license has been issued in a specific area. But first, this license may not have been issued based on Islamic and legal mandates, and second, can merely issuing a license in a specific area guarantee the actions and consequences of a phenomenon?" According to the state news agency IRNA, Mr. Mohseni Ejei also said, "Some say a license has been issued; does merely having a license mean that the subsequent operations are under the control of the license issuers?" The spokesperson for the Judiciary emphasized, "Is it enough for someone to have a weapon license, and can they use this weapon in any way they want? What happens if there was a mistake in issuing the license?" Previously, Hassan Rouhani, the President, Ali Jannati, the Minister of Culture, and Hesameddin Ashna, the advisor to the President, had criticized the cancellation of concerts after they were licensed by the Ministry of Culture. Mr. Rouhani stated on Saturday, June 13, that "when an agency is designated as a legal authority for issuing licenses, the interference of others in these matters is inappropriate." Ali Jannati had also previously stated that the main custodian for issuing concert licenses is the Ministry of Culture, and decisions in this regard should also be made by this ministry. However, according to reports, despite the objections of the Ministry of Culture officials, at least two licensed concerts were canceled in June at the order of a "judicial authority." Among them, the concert of "Parvaz Homay" was canceled just a few hours before it was scheduled to be held on Wednesday, June 10, by the order of the "Cultural and Media Prosecutor's Office." Also, after the objections of the Ministry of Culture managers to the police's prevention of the concert of Kayhan Kalhor, Saeed Montazer al-Mahdi, the spokesperson for the police, announced on Saturday, June 13, that this concert was canceled by "judicial order." The First Deputy of the Judiciary also mentioned on Friday that there is "extraordinary pressure on the cases of major figures," adding, "This pressure is such that sometimes their relatives, because they are powerful, say they must appoint the judge." He added, "They say, why didn't you tell me? Our response is, what responsibility do you have in this regard that we should tell you? The accusation is conveyed to the accused and their lawyer." In recent weeks, the issuance of a definitive prison sentence for Mehdi Hashemi, the son of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, and the arrest of Hamid Bakai, the executive assistant of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have made headlines. Iffat Marashi, the wife of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and mother of Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani, described the Tehran Revolutionary Court's ruling against her son on Sunday, June 21, as "fraud and a dirty game."