Popular Iranian singer and musician Mahdieh Mohammad-Khani has spoken out against the recent spate of canceling concerts in Iran. 

“When I hear that a concert has been canceled, I am upset and don’t feel good,” she said in an interview with the newspaper Shargh Daily [Persian link] published on February 20. “It doesn’t matter which concert, which audience and which style.”

Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, religious leaders and hardliners have imposed tight regulations and extensive bans on the country’s musicians and Iranian artists have continue to work in a repressive climate. Musical instruments are banned on television, solo female artists are prohibited from performing in front of audiences, universities are not allowed to host concerts on campus, and musicians are consistently banned, imprisoned and harassed by authorities.

Since the election of the moderate President Hassan Rouhani, the pressures have only increased. Officially, all concerts must have a permit from the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance — a difficult and costly process in itself. The majority of concerts that have been canceled over the last two years have had such a permit, but when the time came to actually stage the performance, local hardliners, usually mobilized by the Friday Prayers leader of the city, have blocked the performance or instructed the police cancel it.

“Canceling concerts disregards people’s choice,” said Mohammad-Khani, “whether those people are the artists themselves or art lovers.” She said that although people tend listen to music and watch concerts online at home, seeing a live performance is a completely different experience, and seeing musicians and singers up close is important. “Concerts are essential and necessary for a dynamic culture,” she said. “They are a necessary entertainment as well. I am against canceling them.”