Iranian Film Star Risks Being Lashed After Featuring in a Film
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October 12, 2011 TheFreshOutlook  |
Iranian actress Marzieh Vafamehr has been sentenced to jail and 90 lashes after starring in an Australian movie in 2009.
Iranian film star Marzieh Vafamehr is reported to have been sentenced to jail and 90 lashes after featuring in a scene without wearing her hijab in the 2009 Australian production of Granaz Moussavi’s film, My Tehran for Sale.
“In recent months the Iranian judiciary has increasingly relied on flogging to punish individuals, like Marzieh Vafamehr, who have been convicted of moral or political crimes. Regardless of the charges involved, flogging constitutes inhuman or degrading treatment and should not be used as a method of administering justice anywhere in the world,” said Faraz Sanei, Iran researcher at Human Rights Watch, speaking exclusively to The Fresh Outlook.
Playing the role of an actress whose work is banned, Ms Vafamehr is the wife of famous screenwriter, and film director Nasser Taghvai.
According to a statement released by the Australian government, foreign minister Kevin Rudd asked Iran “to protect the rights of all Iranians and foreign citizens”.
“The Australian government condemns the use of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and is deeply concerned by reports that Marzieh Vafamehr has been sentenced to one year in jail and 90 lashes for her role in an Australian-produced film,” said a spokeswoman for Mr Rudd.
Both the film’s producers, Kate Croser and Julie Ryan, are reported to be “deeply shocked and appalled”.
My Tehran for Sale was presented at the 2009 Adelaide Film Festival and has also been shown at the Rotterdam Film Festival and the Global Lens Programme at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.
The film, which was never released in Iran, is believed to have been sold on the Iranian black market.
By Rosaria Sgueglia
[Image courtesy of m4tik]