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| Khosrov Amiri |
Khosrov Amiri, a southern Iranian singer living in exile in Turkey, spoke to Voice of America about his art and activities, as well as explaining the reasons for his emigration from southern Iran. The artist also commented on the restrictions and pressures imposed by the Islamic Republic of Iran on Azerbaijani music, the Turkish language, and culture.
Since 2000, he has organized concerts in cities such as Tabriz, Urmia, and Tehran. From the very beginning of his career, he faced various restrictions imposed by the Iranian government.
The singer stated that he was particularly subjected to pressure from the Iranian police force, the Amaken Department:
"At my very first concert, I encountered many restrictions imposed by Amaken. They told us that the concert had to start with the Quran and the national anthem of the Islamic Republic of Iran. They also said that the female pianist should not be seen by the audience and should play behind a curtain. These restrictions began with such pressures."
"They even intervened in the lyrics of the songs. They wanted us to change the words of even the folk songs," Amiri described the extensive control the Iranian Islamic Republic exercises in the music sector.
According to Khosrov Amiri, the Amaken Department banned him from holding concerts. However, the southern artist did not stop his activities for Azerbaijani music and his native language. He and his friends started publishing a music magazine called Chalğı in Turkish.
Later, the musician says that in order to continue his artistic activities, he was forced to leave the country.
"Now, I teach music in Ankara. I also continue the Chalğı magazine as a show on Günaz TV," said the singer.
He added that the pressures the Islamic Republic of Iran applies to culture, language, and music continue to this day.
"This government wants to destroy our culture. There is no education in our language. Our music is in the same condition as our language," he said.
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Xosrov Əmiri: İranda musiqimiz də dilimiz kimi basqı altındadır