Head of the Cultural Heritage Department in Mashhad Arrested

Following the release of images showing the joy and dancing of attendees at a monthly lottery event in a shopping complex in Mashhad, Iranian media reported on Thursday, April 30, the arrest of the head of the Cultural Heritage Department of this city. Hassan Heydari, the political-security deputy prosecutor of Mashhad, stated in an interview with the Mizan news agency that the head of the Cultural Heritage Department was arrested "for offending public decency, failing to comply with relevant laws, and causing disturbances for the merchants of Borj Salman." Mizan did not name the arrested individual and did not clarify whether anyone else was arrested in connection with this incident. Mohammad Kazem Dabiri, the head of the Cultural Heritage Department of Mashhad, had promised on Wednesday that he would "deal with" the organizer and the team behind the Borj Salman event. The release of images showing joy and dancing at a monthly lottery event held on Tuesday evening at Borj Salman on Rahnemaei Street in Mashhad faced severe criticism from conservative media. Conservative media labeled the event as "subversive" and referred to it as the "opening of a lingerie store." However, one of the managers of Borj Salman denied all these claims in an interview with ISNA news agency. Mohammad Kazem Dabiri, whose arrest has now been reported, told Tasnim news agency on Wednesday that he would "deal with" the event's organizers, stating that "the tower was supposed to be sealed." Nevertheless, Mohsen Afshar, a board member of this tower, denied the closure and emphasized that "the lottery event we held on Tuesday night was legal and had a permit." According to Mr. Afshar, "the controversies surrounding this celebration were created by a group of people who want to make a mountain out of a molehill and create an atmosphere around every issue." Additionally, the head of the Cultural Heritage Department of Mashhad stated that the songs of Mohsen Ebrahimzadeh were played only in the form of "playback," meaning not live, at this event. The name of the city of Mashhad has particularly appeared in the news over the past year due to the strong opposition of its Friday prayer leader, Ahmad Alamolhoda, to holding concerts and music performances. Mr. Alamolhoda, who has opposed music concerts in this city, even stated in April 2017 that he is fundamentally "against holding concerts across the country." The opposition to holding concerts in Mashhad has resulted in the city being deprived of concerts in recent years.