Judicial Authority in Razavi Khorasan: Concerts Will Not Be Held in Other Cities Either

Despite the Minister of Culture of the Islamic Republic announcing that music concerts will not be held "only in this city" out of respect for the Friday Imam of Mashhad, the Chief Justice of Razavi Khorasan states that the decision of the prosecutor of Mashhad to cancel concerts will extend to other cities in the province as well. Various cities in Razavi Khorasan province have continuously witnessed the cancellation of music concerts in recent months, and regarding Mashhad, Ahmad Alamolhoda, the Friday Imam of the city, recently warned that if the residents cannot accept the cancellation of concerts, they should go live somewhere else. This stance initially faced opposition from government officials, but eventually, Ali Jannati, the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, stated that the government has refrained from holding music concerts in Mashhad "out of respect" for Mr. Alamolhoda. He also mentioned that music concerts would still be held in other cities of Razavi Khorasan province, including Sabzevar, Nishapur, and Chenaran. However, now the Mizan news agency, affiliated with the judiciary, quotes Ali Mozaffari, the head of the judiciary in Razavi Khorasan, stating that the order of the public and revolutionary prosecutor of the center of Razavi Khorasan regarding the cancellation of concerts will extend to all cities and counties. Mr. Mozaffari argued that based on Article 27 of the Criminal Procedure Code, "the prosecutor of the province supervises the actions of the prosecutors, judicial officials of the district courts of that province, and those who perform the duties of the prosecutor in the district court regarding these duties and the proper execution of criminal judgments," and therefore the cancellation of concerts based on the order of the prosecutor of Mashhad is "completely in accordance with legal duties." The Ministry of Culture's decision not to hold music concerts in Mashhad has faced protests from some political figures, including Ali Motahari, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, who considered it an example of "dual governance" in the country and emphasized that "Friday Imams have no right to interfere in executive matters." He also stated that "the status of music in Islam is clear... and it makes no sense for a Friday Imam to say it is forbidden in Mashhad and permissible in other cities. This means federal governance." In statements published by Mizan news agency quoting the head of the judiciary in Razavi Khorasan, this judicial official claimed once again that the judiciary "is not opposed to the principle of holding concerts," but its concern is that concerts should be held "safely and without issues contrary to morality and public decency." He also attributed the cancellation of concerts in this province to the fact that concert organizers are unwilling to "commit to holding a concert without moral issues." This judicial official accused the executive officials of "deflection" regarding the cancellation of concerts and added that "if all the religious and legal aspects of such ceremonies are observed from the beginning, there will be no need for the judiciary to intervene, therefore the responsible parties must answer the public regarding their shortcomings."