Exclusive: Iran’s Silent War on Its Own Artists

The wave of suppression of artists, which began with the Woman, Life, Freedom protests, continues unabated.

Besides the well-known artists who have faced intense judicial and security pressures in recent months, even those who have tried to avoid political involvement are being coerced into supporting and promoting government policies.

IranWire has obtained documents indicating that in the past month, 39 artists have been summoned, threatened, and in some cases arrested across the provinces of Gilan, Mazandaran, Ardabil, and Fars. Of these, 36 are women and three are men.

These documents reveal intensified pressure from intelligence agencies on artists, particularly in smaller cities, where artists often maintain networks with students, other artists, and art enthusiasts.

By exerting pressure, intelligence agencies have demanded that the artists not only focus on their work but also advocate for the Islamic Republic's policies in their published content.

In northern Gilan province, 14 artists have been summoned and threatened by security intelligence agencies in the past month alone, according to documents obtained by IranWire.

One artist recounted being summoned to the Intelligence Department of Gilan province via a phone call. Accompanied by her lawyer, she went to the intelligence office in the "Koy Imam Reza" area, but her lawyer was barred from entering, and she underwent over eight hours of interrogation.

The artist explained: "The interrogators pressed me to admit contact with people abroad, particularly journalists, and to confess that I sought their advice on my Instagram content."

Despite her Instagram account featuring only posts related to her products and works, the intelligence agents cited a blurred image of her without the mandatory hijab as evidence of "promoting corruption and prostitution," "publishing lies to disturb public opinion," and "deviant actions."

Ultimately, the artist was compelled to provide her Instagram account password to the security agency and was prohibited from changing it.

Furthermore, she is now required to visit the security agency every few days for an hour-long session with a person identifying as a "ministry expert."

"They have instructed me to continue my Instagram activity and, in specific situations, to publish content with their coordination. This includes posting an article inviting participation in the election on the eve of the second round of the presidential election," she said.

Additionally, three other artists summoned in Gilan province, despite not living in Rasht city, the provincial capital, must regularly attend meetings at the city's intelligence office.

According to information obtained by IranWire, while the number of artists summoned in Mazandaran province was lower, the treatment they received was significantly harsher.

The lawyer of one of the artists revealed that his client was detained for three days and suffered severe abuse. During her detention, she was repeatedly threatened with execution and rape and subjected to physical violence.

In an interview with IranWire, the lawyer explained: "After being released on bail, my client had visible marks from the beating. The deactivation of my client's Instagram and Twitter accounts after her arrest was one of the reasons for the harsher treatment by the interrogators."

The artist has been charged under Article 512 of the Islamic Penal Code with "inciting people to war and killing with the intention of disrupting the country's security."

The lawyer stated that his client was summoned for publishing content protesting the arrest and conviction of women's rights activists in Gilan and for urging people not to participate in the presidential election.

Additionally, the lawyer told IranWire that more than 10 other artists in Mazandaran province have been summoned for similar reasons or even for hosting artistic events such as poetry nights or improvisations in their homes.

Another well-informed source told IranWire that the Mazandaran Intelligence Department has also summoned several social media influencers from the province, warning them that they can continue their activities on social media only if they cooperate with the institution.

One of the summoned individuals had organized a network of village women to sell their local products.

The source explained: "Security agents violently entered the influencer's house in the middle of the night and arrested her. During her detention, they severely abused her and demanded she confess against herself and other members of her network."

The influencer has since been released on bail, but security agents remain in regular contact with her.

The repression of artists is not limited to the provinces of Gilan and Mazandaran. In the Ardabil and Fars provinces, artists have faced similar pressures from security institutions.

Documents obtained by IranWire reveal that at least 11 artists in Ardabil and two activists in Fars province have been summoned or arrested in recent weeks.

Four of the arrested artists in Ardabil were accused of publishing pictures without hijab. However, only one of these arrests has been publicly acknowledged. Last week, the Deputy of Crime Prevention of the Ardabil Prosecutor's Office announced the arrest of a woman on charges of "promoting corruption and prostitution by abusing the capacity of virtual space and social networks."

Another recently detained artist in Ardabil was a woman who posted an Instagram live video of herself playing an instrument without the mandatory hijab.

Security agents have since demanded that the artist publish pictures of herself wearing an Islamic hijab and participating in a mourning ceremony for the third Shia imam.

All these artists are active on social networks, especially Instagram, and have been targeted by intelligence agencies due to their activities on these platforms.

Since April 13, Iran's law enforcement agencies have intensified the enforcement of hijab regulations under the national action plan "Noor."

Across Iran, there have been numerous reports of women being arrested and subjected to the use of force due to perceived violations of dress codes.

Users across social networks are participating in a spontaneous campaign using the hashtag "war against women" to document their experiences and observations regarding the government's crackdown on the opponents of mandatory hijab.