“Art must be allowed to criticize, to provoke, to push the boundaries in any society.” This was the statement declared by a panel of the U.N.’s experts on Iran in response to the death sentence placed upon Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi. On April 24, Branch 1 of the Isfahan Revolutionary Court, led by Mohammad Reza Tavakoli, charged Salehi with “waging war against God” and “corruption on earth”, crimes punishable by death.

In January, the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency seized 23 works from Ahmad’s collection–together worth $1.3 million. This seizure is the most recent step in investigations into Ahmad, who was charged with financing the organization Hezbollah through his art and diamond dealings. As such, governments are cracking down on the art market but this comes with repercussions for artists, art dealers, and auction houses.