Authorities in the nation have long censored art, music and other forms of cultural expression, but Iranian law only vaguely defines what constitutes acts against morality. Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Iran’s Cyber Police unit (FATA), tasked with fighting “digital criminals”, is the most notorious. Hassan Rouhani was elected in 2013 on the promise that he would allow Iran’s cultural scene the space to flourish, free from the worst excesses of censorship that … Different departments within the Ershad are responsible for interpreting what fits and w… In the Islamic Republic, anyone wanting to form a group, regardless of the musical genre, has to go to the Ministry and fill in the relevant forms. “Headbanging is banned, even though it’s the DNA of heavy metal,” laments Kharrazzi. Even now, many groups in Iran are still part of the underground scene, which means that they have not been validated by the Ministry of Culture and Guidance and the concerts they organise are illegal. Back then, playing rock was like selling drugs, it was hidden, often played in cellars or garages. Reported cases of internet censorship. That same year, Iranian state TV broadcast apologies — which appeared to be filmed in prison — of several women, who were briefly detained for posting videos of themselves dancing on Instagram, according to a report by Human Rights Watch. Forbidden to perform in public, many female dancers in Iran use their social media accounts as a type of virtual stage. On the fourth floor of a rather chic building in central Tehran, the Khosh Honar music academy welcomes music lovers of all kinds. The combination of cultural heritage with hip-hop, rap and rock music is typical of the (underground) music scene in Iran. Mr Rajabian said he would continue defying Iranian laws that banned free artistic expression. "A strong women that dares to express herself individually suddenly becomes threatening. Last year, a popular social media movement called #dancingisnotacrime went viral, in protest of government censorship. "The judge told me I was charged with publishing a woman singing and a woman dancing in my latest project, which 'causes society to go into prostitution'," Mr Rajabian said. In contrast to conven- Shahab also feels it is a shame that young musicians are not able to experience performing on stage more often: “Music schools allow us to organise concerts under the cover of their authorisations, but they are often so-called experimental concerts, in a small lounge, which only family and close friends can attend, and the acoustic conditions do not really allow us to replicate the real thing.”. "Music is our only weapon. Shirin explains that in spite of all the efforts aimed at reviving rock music in Iran, she cannot speak about her work with pride: “I think that most people do not know this genre and associate it with negative images, such as depravity, alcohol, devil worshipping and even prostitution. He said he was interrogated and detained for several hours before his family paid for him to be released on bail ahead of his trial. The report traces the gradual imposition of music censorship since 1978, when the communist government of Nur Ahmad Taraki came to power in a violent coup d’etat. But this fairy tale is so prevalent and omnipresent, because the stories of those who have actually lived there are yet to be told. To better understand this specific type of censorship, one needs to recognize the fundamental differences between a classical dictatorship government (such as Shah’s in 1941-1978) versus a religious dictatorship (Islamic Republic, 1979-). Will the pandemic change our relationship with nature and animals? The Intelligence Ministry has banned at least 26 popular Iranian singers, including Shahram Shokoohi, Mohsen Yeganeh, Reza Sadeghi and Sirvan Khosravi, from performing in Iran after their music was broadcast by satellite networks abroad. Censorship fears rise as Iran blocks access to top ... facilities banned in an attempt to impede "corrupting" foreign films and music. My song failed to obtain the necessary authorisations, as it was, apparently, too close a reflection of the current situation,” he explains. Ms Bandeh said the criminalisation of such a "beautiful, soft and elegant form of art" was both "absurd and unjust". 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