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13 - Multilayered Mechanisms of Control and Censorship of Arts and Culture in the Islamic Republic of Iran

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 April 2025

Hadi Enayat
Affiliation:
Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilizations, Aga Khan University
Mirjam Künkler
Affiliation:
Institute for Advanced Legal Study
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Summary

This chapter examines both the regulatory and judicial aspects of artistic expression in the Islamic Republic of Iran, in an attempt to illustrate the fragility of the rule of law pertaining to art and culture in theory and practice. The chapter provides a brief historic overview of censorship since the 1979 Revolution, capturing the relative fluctuations in the application of the law over time, depending on the approach of the individuals in charge. In order to demonstrate the nature of the judiciary’s verdicts in light of the defendants’ artistic expression, the chapter also introduces examples of the cases of artists and writers prosecuted for their work both offline and online. Overall, the chapter highlights the multifaceted nature of the regulatory limitations on cultural and artistic expression and creativity.

Type
Chapter
Information
The Rule of Law in the Islamic Republic of Iran
Power, Institutions, and the Limits of Reform
, pp. 386 - 413
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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References

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