Shining a light on violence against musical artists, creators & poets in 2026 and always

The National Music Council of the United States (NMC), the umbrella organization for all American music and music education advocacy organizations, continues to monitor developments in the case of the female Iranian singing star Parastoo Ahmadi who was sentenced this month in Tehran to a public whipping for appearing in a video in “immodest attire” (i.e. without a head scarf and with bare arms and shoulders). The song she sang, perversely, expressed her love for her nation of Iran. It did not matter. The ruling parties have determined that a message needs to be sent, and that the lashing of a celebrated performer is what is called for.

The singling out of popular musical artists and poets for punishment by governmental regimes has a very long history, for two simple reasons:

First, it presents despots across the political spectrum with the goldenopportunity to demonstrate their alleged willingness to attack anyone at any time, a statement to “the people” that “if this is what we’ll do to them, imagine what we’ll do to you.” And second, it is intended to cow and often to eliminate through intimidation and fear the most dangerous, effective opposition any would-be dictator is ever likely to face: a country’s own artistic creators.

There are reasons why Gen. Augusto Pinochet of Chile chose as the first victims of his murderous regime the singer-songwriter Victor Jara (executed in the national soccer stadium after having his hands mutilated).and world renown poet laureate Pablo Neruda (an outspoken critic of military dictatorships). There are reasons why Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge set upon and murdered nearly every musician and poet in Cambodia, and why artistic opposites Pussy Riot and Shostakovich were each brutalized decades apart by the purveyors of Soviet and Russian oppression. And there is a reason why Billie Holiday was hounded to her death right here at home.

NMC takes no political position on these matters other than this: protecting the value to global culture of musicians, songwriters, composers, poets and other creators by shielding them insofar as possible from violent repression is paramount to our mission.

Shining a light on such incidents –so that acts of violent intimidation cannot be carried out in the shadows– is the role of any organization dedicated to furthering the advancement of art, artists, and the more humane world we are all seeking to build.

And so we shall.

For a longer explanation of the history of global artistic repression in the realm of music, please feel free to visit the NMC website and read the expose I wrote in 2023 on this crucial topic: https://musiccouncil.org/research/music-politics-history/