Iran Responds to Film on Repression of Artists By Ordering The Flogging and Jailing of Actress

The Iranian courts have responded to a film detailing the repression of artists in Iran by ordering the flogging and imprisonment of an actress, Marzieh Vafamehr. Vafamehr will be given 90 lashes and imprisoned for a year for her role in “My Tehran for Sale,” a film that tells the story of a young actress in Tehran who cannot perform due to government repression.

The critically acclaimed work details her struggle to pursue her art in a secret life. While banned in Iran, it is being watched secretly by citizens.

She is the wife of film director and screenwriter Nasser Taghvai.

As shown in the trailer below, she is an incredible artist and an inspiring hero for both artists and civil libertarians. The utter cruelty of this sentence further highlights the grotesque, Sharia-based justice system in Iran. For those of us who take our freedoms for granted, one look at this woman will serve to remind you of how costly and precious those freedoms are — even in the twenty-first century.

Source: AU News