04.06.2026 22:10
The District Governorate of Çankaya announced that the concert of Iranian-born singer Mohsen Namjoo, planned for June 13 in Ankara, was not permitted due to public sensitivities. Namjoo was sentenced to five years in prison in Iran in 2009 for composing Quranic verses and later settled in the United States.
Çankaya District Governorate announced that the concert event planned by Iranian-born singer Mohsen Namjoo in Ankara was not permitted.
IRANIAN SINGER'S CONCERT CANCELED In a statement from Çankaya District Governorate, it was stated: "The concert event planned by Iranian-born Mohsen Namjoo on June 13 was not permitted due to justified public sensitivities. Respectfully announced to the public."
Mohsen Namjoo Mohsen Namjoo was born in 1976 in the city of Mashhad, Iran, and from a young age received intensive education in traditional Persian music and literature. While studying music at the University of Tehran, he was expelled from school due to his avant-garde style that broke away from traditional forms, and he became a pioneer of underground music by blending Persian poetry with rock, jazz, and blues.
SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR SETTING QURAN VERSES TO MUSIC Namjoo, who constantly faced regime pressure due to social criticism and satirical language in his songs, was sentenced in absentia to 5 years in prison in 2009 on allegations of disrespectfully and mockingly setting Quranic verses to music; as a result of these pressures and the sentence, he was forced to leave his country and settled in the USA.