In a continuation of their crackdown on perceived dissident filmmakers, the Iranian courts have sentenced actress Marzieh Vafamehr to 90 lashes and a year in prison for starring in a film about censorship. Vafamehr, who is married to director Nasser Taghvai, has been condemned in part because she appeared in one scene without wearing a hijab.
The film, My Tehran For Sale, was made by an Australian company but included filming done in the Iranian capital. It explores issues relating to Iran's censorship of the arts, and although it was banned from cinema exhibition in Iran, pirated copies have been widely distributed. Amnesty International and several senior Australian politicians have pleaded for Vafamehr's release. A sentence of 90 lashes is likely to result in severe injury and could potentially be fatal.
