On 8 October, Actress Marzieh Vafamehr was sentenced to 90 lashes and a year in jail for her performance in a film exploring censorship of artists in Iran, according to reports from Kalameh.com, an Iranian opposition website. Vafamehr was in a controversial film called “My Tehran for Sale”, which is about a young actress who takes on a secret life in order to pursue her artistic dreams, after having her theatre work banned by Tehran authorities. Vafamehr, who was initially arrested after the July release of the film, was released on bail later that month. Her lawyer reportedly filed to appeal on 9 October.
NEWS
Support free expression for all
At Index on Censorship, we believe everyone deserves the right to speak freely, challenge power and share ideas without fear. In a world where governments tighten control and algorithms distort the truth, defending those rights is more urgent than ever.
But free speech is not free. Instead we rely on readers like you to keep our journalism independent, our advocacy sharp and our support for writers, artists and dissidents strong.
If you believe in a future where voices aren’t silenced, help us protect it.
At Index on Censorship, we believe everyone deserves the right to speak freely, challenge power and share ideas without fear. In a world where governments tighten control and algorithms distort the truth, defending those rights is more urgent than ever.
But free speech is not free. Instead we rely on readers like you to keep our journalism independent, our advocacy sharp and our support for writers, artists and dissidents strong.
If you believe in a future where voices aren’t silenced, help us protect it.
At Index on Censorship, we believe everyone deserves the right to speak freely, challenge power and share ideas without fear. In a world where governments tighten control and algorithms distort the truth, defending those rights is more urgent than ever.
But free speech is not free. Instead we rely on readers like you to keep our journalism independent, our advocacy sharp and our support for writers, artists and dissidents strong.
If you believe in a future where voices aren’t silenced, help us protect it.
At Index on Censorship, we believe everyone deserves the right to speak freely, challenge power and share ideas without fear. In a world where governments tighten control and algorithms distort the truth, defending those rights is more urgent than ever.
But free speech is not free. Instead we rely on readers like you to keep our journalism independent, our advocacy sharp and our support for writers, artists and dissidents strong.
If you believe in a future where voices aren’t silenced, help us protect it.
At Index on Censorship, we believe everyone deserves the right to speak freely, challenge power and share ideas without fear. In a world where governments tighten control and algorithms distort the truth, defending those rights is more urgent than ever.
But free speech is not free. Instead we rely on readers like you to keep our journalism independent, our advocacy sharp and our support for writers, artists and dissidents strong.
If you believe in a future where voices aren’t silenced, help us protect it.
READ MORE
-
Smearing, harassing, criminalising and killing is no longer the exception for journalists
Read below former Index CEO and now the chief executive of the Committee to Project Journalists Jodie Ginsberg's powerful James Cameron Memorial Le...
-
The exclusion of Palestinian voices means the same mistakes are being made on Gaza
In 1993, the Oslo Accords promised peace in the Middle East. Thirty-two years on, a new peace initiative seeks to extract the same out of the wreck...
-
Truth dies when you fire the fact-checkers
Experts who can spot the red flags and contextualise the information we receive aren’t free-speech enemies
-
Offline by decree: Iran’s war on the internet
In wartime, sharing photos of bombed locations or even accessing the internet could get you prosecuted for collaborating with the enemy
