Prominent Iranian theater director and playwright Ghotbeddin Sadeghi has said the social unrest gripping the country makes it impossible to resume productions, rebuffing a request from the minister of Islamic guidance for artists to return to the stage.
Most artists have canceled performances in support of protests sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody. Security forces have met the demonstrators with brutal, and sometimes deadly force.
Sadeghi said in response to the request by Minister of Islamic Guidance Mohammad Mahdi Esmaili that "the violence on the streets these days does not allow people to think about intellectual activities like watching theater."
Referring to the "big social gap in Iran," Sadeghi added that "the ruling minority denies the will of the majority of the people and takes their lives and does not retreat. They think can solve the problem with more violence."
Sadeghi's comments come amid one of the deepest challenges to the Islamic regime since the revolution in 1979, which erupted following the September 16 death of Amini after being detained for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly.
Since the start of daily protests, several Iranian cinematographers and prominent public figures have been summoned by the police or arrested, including actress Soheila Golestani and director Hamid Pourazari.
Several celebrities, including actor Hamid Farrokhnejad, have been interrogated and had their passports confiscated after showing support for the protests.
Hossein Mohammadi, a 26-year-old theater actor, also faces a death sentence after he was reportedly tortured into making a confession to security forces who were looking to pin the blame on him and 15 others for the death of a member of the Basij paramilitary force during a demonstration.
Since Amini's death, more than 400 people have been killed in the police crackdown, according to rights groups. Several thousand more have been arrested, including many protesters, as well as journalists, lawyers, activists, digital rights defenders, and others.
