Mohseni Eje'i: No Concerts Will Be Held Without Commitments from Organizers

The spokesperson of Iran's judiciary emphasized the prevention of concerts deemed 'against public decency', stating that if concert organizers do not provide commitments in this regard, prosecutors will prevent the concerts from taking place. According to the state news agency IRNA, Gholamhossein Mohseni Eje'i said in a press conference on Sunday, June 13, that in the years 2014 and 2015, the police or intelligence agencies reported that 'in a limited number' of concerts, 'criminal, illegal, anti-security, or anti-public order issues' were expected to occur. Mr. Mohseni Eje'i stated that if someone 'commits' that no wrongdoing will occur at these concerts, the prosecutor will allow them to take place, but 'if no commitment is made, the prosecutor will prevent the concert'. He added: 'Only cases that ensure no crime occurs and no security issues arise will not be blocked by the prosecutor, but if a crime occurs, the concert will be stopped, and necessary measures will be taken for future concerts.' Ali Jannati, Iran's Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, on June 6, described the interference of prosecutors and the judiciary as the 'main obstacle' to holding some concerts and mentioned correspondence with judicial officials to implement licensed concerts. In recent weeks, the Nishapur prosecutor's office has canceled two concerts by Shahram Nazeri and one concert by Kayhan Kalhor. In April, a traditional music concert by Ali Zand Vakili in Shandiz, Mashhad was also canceled. The cancellation of these concerts led to protests from the government spokesperson and the House of Music of Iran. In previous years, following the opposition of Ahmad Alamolhoda, the Friday prayer leader of Mashhad, to concerts in this city, several concerts in this city and other cities in Razavi Khorasan province were canceled. Meanwhile, Alireza Rashidian, the governor of Razavi Khorasan, on Tuesday, June 8, emphasized that there is 'no geographical limitation' in the law for holding concerts and requested the judiciary to announce any potential ban on concerts in this province so that 'everyone knows their responsibilities'. On the same day, Hadi Sadeqi, the cultural deputy of the judiciary, implicitly confirmed the ban on concerts in Razavi Khorasan province in an interview with the Shargh newspaper. In response to a question, the judiciary spokesperson also denied reports about 'arrest warrants' for Cyrus Naseri and Hossein Mousavian, two members of the nuclear negotiation team during Mohammad Khatami's presidency, while stating that 'issues are raised, and they may be questioned one day'. On Saturday, the Nasim Online website reported that following a letter from four Iranian parliament members, an arrest warrant for Cyrus Naseri had been issued, but he is currently outside Iran and has not returned. Elyas Naderan, Hossein Najabat, Alireza Zakani, and Ahmad Amirabadi, four members of the ninth parliament, had accused Cyrus Naseri and Hossein Fereydoun, the brother of Hassan Rouhani, in a letter to the Iranian president last December of being involved in 'brokerage, especially in the currency sector in previous years' and also 'brokerage' in foreign contracts after the Vienna nuclear agreement. Cyrus Naseri was a member of Iran's nuclear negotiation team during Khatami's presidency and is mentioned as the chairman of the board of the oil company 'Kish Oriental'. Hossein Mousavian, who was a critic of the nuclear negotiation team during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency, was arrested on April 29, 2007, on charges such as 'espionage' and was released eight days later on a bail of 200 million tomans. He was ultimately acquitted of espionage but was sentenced to two years of suspended imprisonment and five years of prohibition from holding public office on charges of 'disrupting national security'. Mr. Mousavian had been working as a researcher at Princeton University in recent years but announced his return to Iran in 2013 after Hassan Rouhani came to power. The spokesperson of the judiciary also announced that those attackers of the Saudi embassy whose cases were in the judiciary's hands have been released on bail, but he has no information about the status of those accused whose cases are in the special court for clergy. Following the attack on Saudi diplomatic sites in Tehran and Mashhad last December, which led to the severance of diplomatic relations between the two countries, several individuals, including a cleric named Hassan Kord Mihani, were arrested, and the Tehran prosecutor confirmed in March that indictments had been issued for 22 individuals in this case. Subsequently, in early May, Ali Jannati, Iran's Minister of Culture, announced that all those involved in the attack on the Saudi embassy were in prison. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, severely criticized the 'accusation' of 'Hezbollah' individuals for extremism after this attack, stating that 'just because an issue like the Saudi embassy and the British embassy arises, which is very bad and harmful to the country and Islam, it should not be used as an excuse to attack believing youth.'