Meeting of Two Ministers to Clarify Concert Regulations

Ali Jannati, the Minister of Culture of the Islamic Republic, announced on Tuesday, June 23, that he has reached an 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 more problems for holding concerts." Especially in the past year, the cancellation of concerts that had received permits from the Ministry of Culture but were prevented from being held by the Iranian police has become a hot topic and has drawn criticism. For instance, in the past two weeks, several concerts in Iran, including a concert by the Mastan group featuring Parvaz Homay, Vahid Taj in Rasht, and Kayhan Kalhor in Tehran, were canceled despite having permission from the Ministry of Culture. Following these cancellations, Pirouz Arjomand, the head of the Music Office, and Hossein Nooshabadi, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Culture, strongly criticized the police and the places administration for interfering in the prevention of concerts. According to the House of Representatives news agency, Ali Jannati stated on Tuesday that the reason for police involvement is a regulation approved during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency, which "allowed the police to intervene in certain cases." Now, according to the Minister of Culture in Hassan Rouhani's government, it has been decided in his meeting with the Minister of Interior to specify the duties and powers of the Ministry of Culture and the police regarding concert organization in a "guideline." Ali Jannati emphasized that "the main authority for issuing permits for holding concerts is the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, and therefore... decision-making in this area should be done by the Ministry of Culture." Hassan Rouhani also referred to the issue of concert cancellations during his press conference on Saturday, June 13. The Iranian President stated that when an entity is designated as the legal authority for granting permits, interference by others in these matters is inappropriate, saying, "Everyone must adhere to the law and not seek personal interpretations." Meanwhile, Hossein Ashtari, the commander of the Iranian police, indirectly responded to the President's position by stating that this law enforcement agency acted in accordance with its "inherent and religious" duty by canceling some music concerts. The police have yet to respond to the meeting and decisions made by the two ministers. In this context, Rouhani's advisor urged the police to understand the "new situation of the country." The Minister of Culture noted that the problem with some concerts lies with the "audience." A proposal to amend a regulation to prevent police interference in concert organization is also on the table.