12 Oct 2011

Iran actress sentenced to jail and 90 lashes

1:31 pm on 12 October 2011

An actress who appeared in a film critical of policies on the arts in Iran has been sentenced to a year in prison and 90 lashes.

Opposition websites say Marzieh Vafamehr from Iran was sentenced at the weekend but the charges against her have not been made public.

Vafamehr was arrested in July this year over her part in My Tehran for Sale which explores limits on freedom of expression for artists in Iran.

The film, shot in the capital, Tehran, tells the story of a young actress whose stage work is banned.

The ABC reports the film is banned in Iran and was shown at the Adelaide Film Festival in 2009.