Artworks Turn into "Criminal Evidence".. Iran Tightens the Noose on Artists and Intellectuals

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The "Human Rights Center in Iran" stated that Iranian authorities have intensified their pressure on artists, writers, poets, musicians, and other cultural figures in recent weeks, in a campaign that included arrest, imprisonment, and legal prosecution due to artistic and literary works, social media activity, or peaceful expression of opinions.

The center, based in New York, explained in a report published yesterday, Tuesday, that a number of artists and cultural figures have been subjected to arbitrary arrest, or have been kept in detention isolated from the outside world, or have been pursued and tried, under a judicial system where security charges, prolonged detention, coerced confessions, and sham trials can lead to "catastrophic consequences" for the accused.

The report confirmed that the pressures seem to be particularly severe on artists and cultural activists belonging to various ethnic groups in Iran, including Ahwazi Arabs, Kurds, and Lors, noting that some individuals were arrested for works that had already received official licenses. It also mentioned the raiding of homes by security forces without judicial orders in some cases, taking them to unknown locations.

Asfandiyar Aban, the research director at the "Human Rights Center in Iran," which was formerly known as the "International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran," stated that these arrests should be viewed as part of a "broader and violently intense campaign of repression in Iran," aimed at silencing dissent and instilling fear throughout society.

He added that when an artist, poet, or cultural activist is arrested due to a song, poem, or painting, they enter a judicial system where security charges can turn into torture, coerced confessions, sham trials, and prison sentences for years, and in some cases, even the death penalty.

Aban pointed out that cultural activity for marginalized individuals in Iraqi communities in Iran often represents a means to talk about discrimination, poverty, and the problems facing their communities, adding that the Iranian authorities "know this" and, in conjunction with escalating their dealings with manifestations of opposition, are seeking to close peaceful channels for expressing discontent.

The "Iran Human Rights Center" stated that reviewing the files of artists from various fields shows that the Iranian authorities have criminalized artistic and cultural activity and expression, and that courts use songs, poems, books, and paintings as "evidence" in security files.

The center confirmed that obtaining an official license does not provide protection for artists from security agencies, explaining that individuals who obtained licenses from the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance have also been targeted by institutions linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

According to the report, literary and artistic activities in Iran can lead to penalties including imprisonment, flogging, bans on leaving the country, and deprivation of the right to engage in artistic activity. Furthermore, the campaign of repression is not limited to well-known artists but also affects small literary groups, book clubs, poetry and music forums, and activists promoting non-Persian mother languages and other local cultural activities.

The center also pointed out that female artists and other cultural figures face criminal prosecutions for violating gender-based restrictions, including rules related to mandatory hijab and women's singing.

Aban stated that Iranian authorities "have repeatedly shown how a political or cultural file can turn into a national security issue," calling on the international community to act before detainees face coerced confessions and sentences issued following sham trials.

The "Iran Human Rights Center" urged governments and UN bodies to demand the immediate release of individuals imprisoned for exercising their right to freedom of expression, to monitor the conditions of detainees and their places of detention, and to raise specific cases directly with Iranian authorities.

The center also called for human rights concerns to be included in all bilateral dialogues with Iran, to impose targeted sanctions on officials involved in arbitrary arrests and suppression of freedom of expression, in addition to putting an end to corporal punishments, including flogging.

The center reported that recent weeks have seen the arrest of several cultural activists in various cities of the Khuzestan province by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Intelligence, while others have been summoned by judicial authorities, with the fate and places of detention of some detainees still unknown.

The information collected by the center indicates that a number of these activists and artists were arrested as part of a joint case related to the production of a song and its publication on YouTube, despite the work having received official licensing.

Mahdi Al-Nasiri, the head of the "Arab Poetry Association" in the city of Sus, north of Ahvaz, and cultural activist Aref Al-Nasiri were arrested in connection with the song "From Karun to the Olive Tree," which was produced with a license from the Islamic Culture and Guidance Department in Ahvaz.

Arab singers Hussein Al-Ahvazi and Mahdi Al-Zairi were also summoned and threatened, while Mohammed Al-Kaabi, known as "Abu Idris," and Mahdi Al-Khalidi, an Arab director and cultural activist from the city of Tustar, were arrested in connection with the same case.

Human rights reports indicated that Mahdi Al-Nasiri was arrested in Ahvaz on September 8, 2026, and then Aref Al-Nasiri was arrested four days later, on September 12, following a search of his home in the city of Falahiyeh, south of Ahvaz, while the arrests and summonses extended to other individuals linked to the same artistic work.

The report also mentioned the arrest of Asad Al-Halafi, a 37-year-old Arab cultural activist, after a raid on his home in the Gol Dasht neighborhood of Ahvaz and his transfer to an unknown location.

According to the "Ahwazi Human Rights Organization", elements of the Revolutionary Guard's intelligence entered the home of Al-Halfi around four in the morning without presenting a judicial warrant, searched the house, and confiscated a number of his personal belongings. As of the time of publishing this information, the authorities had not provided an explanation regarding the reasons for his arrest, the charges against him, or his place of detention.

Among the cases mentioned in the report is the absentia sentence against poet and writer Nima Safar from the city of Gorgan in northeastern Iran, who was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison by the first branch of the Revolutionary Court in Bandar Abbas.

Poet and translator Vahid Ali Zadeh Razazi was also summoned to serve a 75-day prison sentence in Greater Tehran Prison, while the same court sentenced writer Roozbeh Ghilasian from Gorgan to four years and eight months in prison. The cases filed against Safar included his activities on social media, including following certain pages and liking posts, while Ghilasian's case, among other things, was based on his management of a Telegram channel with about a hundred members and the publication of some of his books and writings.

The report also mentioned the arrest of Youssef Rahimi, a literary and cultural activist and head of the "Kurdish Cultural and Literary Association" (Hejeh) in Baneh, stating that elements of the Ministry of Intelligence arrested him in the street without a judicial order. As of the time of publishing the report, there was no information available about the charges against him or his place of detention.

Rahim Molaian, a 66-year-old painter and sculptor from Babol in northern Iran, was sentenced to six months in prison. The center stated that his critical paintings and posts on Instagram were among the evidence used in the judicial file.

In the latest files related to artists, the Court of Appeals in Qom Province confirmed a ruling that sentences singer Barasto Ahmadi and eight members of her production team and musicians to 74 lashes each, in addition to banning them from leaving Iran for two years and depriving them of artistic activity for two years.

Ahmadi's case dates back to the execution of an artistic work she published online in December 2024, in which she appeared singing without a hijab alongside several male musicians. The court had issued the same rulings in the preliminary phase, before the Court of Appeals confirmed them on September 25, 2026, making the ruling final and enforceable.

The report also mentioned Sheida Sabri, the Lorestan artist from Yasuj residing in Shiraz, who was arrested on September 20, 2026, and transferred to Adelabad Prison in Shiraz, while the authorities had not announced the reason for her arrest or the charges against her by the time the report was published.

The "Iran Human Rights Center" confirmed at the end of its report that the reasons for the arrests or the charges against individuals are often not disclosed in many of these cases, while artistic works, writings, and activities on social media in other cases become a direct basis for opening judicial files against their owners, reflecting the widening scope of the use of cultural and artistic activities in security and judicial issues in Iran.