Jannati: The Least Cancellations of Concerts Are Related to the Police

The Iranian Minister of Culture defended the government's decision to remove the police from the agencies issuing concert permits, stating that the "most" cancellations of concerts were made by the judiciary and "the least" were related to the police. According to ISNA news agency, Ali Jannati on Sunday, July 25, also referred to the amendment of the regulations concerning concert performances, which he claimed was a "document for dealing with music concerts," stating that this regulation was drafted in 1957 during the previous regime in Iran. In response to criticism from some members of parliament regarding the amendment of this resolution, he said, "Unfortunately, some people are making noise for no reason, and their comments are unexpected." Jannati added, "If the resolution we have amended is against the law, the supervisory board on government resolutions can reject it, which they have not done." The Minister of Culture announced that the guidelines for holding concerts have been drafted for the first time since the Islamic Revolution, and with these guidelines, everyone, including the audience, "knows their responsibilities." Jannati also stated, "The cancellations of concerts are least related to the police and mostly to the judiciary, which has issued rulings to prevent certain issues." On June 6, the Minister of Culture described the interference of prosecutors as the "main obstacle" to holding some concerts and mentioned correspondence with officials of this institution for the execution of licensed concerts. In contrast, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesperson for the Iranian judiciary, emphasized on June 13 the prevention of concerts that are "against public decency," stating that if concert organizers do not commit to this, prosecutors will prevent the concerts from being held. Ejei also reacted to the recent government resolution, saying that the police perform their duty regarding "countering social anomalies" and "have nothing to do with issuing permits." He added, "If a publication that is permitted by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance commits an offense, does the prosecutor not have a duty regarding that?" The Iranian government, in its session on July 4, amended Article 20 of the "Public Places Regulations" at the suggestion of the Ministry of Culture. According to the new government resolution, the issuance of permits for cultural and artistic programs, including music and theater performances, is the responsibility of the Ministry of Culture, and regarding "security and traffic review," it is communicated to the Islamic Republic's police, which is obliged to provide its opinion within 10 days and ensure the order and security of the venue and event "without interfering in the permit and content of the program and the characteristics of the performers." According to the previous regulations on "public places," holding any kind of celebration, wedding, party, or artistic and theatrical program in public places required not only the approval of the program's content by the Ministry of Culture but also obtaining a "special permit" from the Public Places Administration. Despite this resolution, Masoud Jazayeri, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, on July 22, officially requested the police to carry out their "mission" in "dealing with moral anomalies" at concert venues "with seriousness." In this regard, according to Asr Iran website, Nasrollah Pejmanfar, head of the Cultural Commission of the Parliament, called the government's resolution "illegal" and stated that the police are managed under the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic and "the decisions of the government board will have no effect on the expansion or reduction of their duties." Meanwhile, Asghar Masoudi, a member of the Cultural Commission of the Parliament, stated in an interview with the House of the Nation news agency that the government's resolution has made the laws and duties in this area "clearer." Previously, Ahmad Alamolhoda, the representative of the Supreme Leader in Khorasan Razavi, severely criticized the government's resolution, threatening that the judiciary would not allow "the Islamic Republic of Iran to become a center for the development of corruption and vice." Meanwhile, Jannati, in his remarks, said, "Some say music is forbidden, and some say music is corrupting. Are we supposed to act based on their views? We are an Islamic government, and at the head of this government, there is a jurist familiar with poetry, music, cinema, and theater, and we must act according to his views." Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, has previously stated that "teaching music and promoting it for adolescents is not compatible with the goals of the Islamic Republic." Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi, former head of the Assembly of Experts, also attacked the performance of the Ministry of Culture in the music sector in 2014, asking Ali Jannati to remind the artistic deputy of this ministry that music is forbidden in Islam. In his remarks on Sunday, the Minister of Culture also pointed out that some statements by Friday prayer leaders are due to "believing" the incorrect information from some websites, urging them to investigate whether the news is correct before speaking. He added, "Sometimes a Friday prayer leader in a city that must be found with a magnifying glass on the map has said in his sermons that the Islamic title of the Ministry of Culture should be removed." Jannati has previously stated several times that bulletins prepared by some organizations that use public funds "are full of lies." The issue of bulletin makers and the "publication of negative news and reports" by them, which are sent in the form of bulletins to religious authorities, figures of the Islamic Republic, and military and governmental institutions, has been one of the focal points of protest by the officials of Hassan Rouhani's cabinet in recent years.