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! #$%&! !#'(%)*#+,-..*%)* ARTICLE 19 GLOBAL CAMPAIGN FOR FREE EXPRESSION Unveiled: Art and Censorship in Iran – ARTICLE 19, London, 2006 – Index Number: MENA/2006/09 2 ! #$ This report was prepared by an independent researcher for ARTICLE 19. It was reviewedand edited by Dr. Agnes Callamard, Executive Director, Bethan Grillo, Latin AmericanProgramme Director, and Sophie Redmond, Law Programme Officer. This report has been compiled through a combination of background research as well as anextensive series of interviews with Iranian artists, most of whom live in exile. The responsereceived from those living in Iran has been one of caution – only a very few, Tehran-basedartists were willing to speak. This concern about conversing with a human rightsorganisation, or wanting to do so only under the protection of anonymity, is itself perhaps anindication of the current state of affairs. On a less pessimistic note, it is also a sense of national pride, strengthened in recent months because of the threat of war over the nuclearissue that has restrained these Iranians from speaking out against their country.The majority of the interviews – from artists in exile – provide an in-depth, textured accountof the lasting effect of censorship on artistic expression and the limits that these individualsare driven to, causing them to abandon their lives in Iran. It should be noted, however, thatthe views represented in this report are those of the specific individuals only and cannot betreated as representative of society as a whole. While there are most certainly those in Iranwhose views match those stated here, it is important to remember that there will also becountless others which do not. The thoughts of many of those living in exile have beenaffected, often by persecutory experiences in their home country, the impact of whichrenders their views qualitatively different from those who have continued to live in Iran.Material and sources related to the different art forms in Iran, with the exception of cinema,which has a vast body of work devoted to it, have been difficult to locate. Furthermore, witha political climate continually in flux, regulations regarding censorship become somewhatrapidly outdated.ARTICLE 19 and the author are extremely grateful to the many individuals who spoke of their personal experiences; they have enriched this report tremendously. A list of all of theinterviewees can be found at the end of the report.September 2006ARTICLE 19 MENA Programme6-8 Amwell StreetLondonEC1R 1UQUnited KingdomTel: + 44 20 7278 9292Fax: + 44 20 7278 7660Email:
[email protected] Website:www.article19.org © ARTICLE 19ISBN 1-902598-84-9 ARTICLE 19 GLOBAL CAMPAIGN FOR FREE EXPRESSION Unveiled: Art and Censorship in Iran – ARTICLE 19, London, 2006 – Index Number: MENA/2006/09 3 /00 1. Foreward.............................................................................................................3 2. Introduction........................................................................................................5 3. Visual Art.........................................................................................................13 4. Film..................................................................................................................17 5. Theatre..............................................................................................................26 6. Literature..........................................................................................................28 7. Poetry................................................................................................................33 8. Music................................................................................................................40 9. Dance................................................................................................................46 10. Conclusion......................................................................................................47 10.1 Recommendations...................................................................................48 11. List of Interviewees........................................................................................50 ARTICLE 19 GLOBAL CAMPAIGN FOR FREE EXPRESSION Unveiled: Art and Censorship in Iran – ARTICLE 19, London, 2006 – Index Number: MENA/2006/09 4 %& '!# Freedom of expression, including access to information, is a fundamental human right. Thefull enjoyment of this right is central to achieving individual freedoms and to developingdemocracy. It not only plays a critical role in tackling the underlying causes of poverty but isalso the most potent force for the strengthening of peace and the preemption of conflict.Once freedom of expression is lost, all other freedoms fall.Freedom of expression means that every individual has the right to hold opinions and toexpress them without fear. It includes the right to seek, receive and impart information andideas of all kinds, through any medium of choice, regardless of national frontiers or stateboundaries. Censorship encompasses all interferences with these basic rights. Historically,artists have been the primary targets of the censor – novelists, playwrights, satirists, poets,painters and sculptors have seen their art banned, burned, desecrated, or destroyed while theythemselves have been imprisoned, dismissed or killed. Over the last two centuries or so, themedia has become the key vehicle of communication and expression, and its ability tofunction independently, is vital to freedom of expression. But alongside journalists, artistscontinue to be the censor’s primary concern – be it a state institution mandated to protectstate interests, the “good morals” of society, or a community incensed by the artist’sportrayal of its inner workings.This report on censorship of the Art in Iran is the first of what ARTICLE 19 expects to be aseries of reports on freedom of expression related to the arts, interpreted broadly to coverfilm, visual art, theatre, literature, poetry, music and dance. It draws together personalaccounts of artists’ experiences of censorship in Iran, with a rich array of secondary-sourcecommentary on the nature and rationale of the restrictions which they face. In this way, thereport seeks to illustrate the manner in which artistic censorship in Iran is both shaped andshapes; to demonstrate where the focus of the conflict lies between the Islamic Republic of Iran and individual expression.The direct censorship instruments at the State’s disposal are blunt and wide-ranging: theseinclude highly repressive laws , supported by an array of regulations and guidelines thatdelineate and restrict what can be expressed, and how it should be done, assisted by amultitude of censors – diverse institutions that will intervene at different stages of theartistic process by assenting to or denying the much needed authorisation.ARTICLE 19’s work over the last twenty years has shown that control over an individual’sright to expression can be pursued through a range of means, both direct and indirect, thusmaking censorship particularly complex, as well as difficult to confront and defeat 1 . Thisdimension of censorship is certainly true in Iran, where non-state, but no less powerful actorsand instruments, exercise censorship over the arts. In the event that the governmentcensorship apparatus presents some small cracks through which “controversial” expressionsmay be let free, vigilante groups intervene , self-mandated to protect society against“damaging influences” including through the use of force, threats and intimidations. Mostpowerful, however, is the culture of censorship within Iranian society that has blurred theline between what is imposed by the State and what has become inherent to society itself. 1 Kevin Boyle, “Introduction”, ARTICLE 19 1988 World Report, Information, Freedom and Censorship , 1988
