HRANA News Agency – Branch 54 of the Tehran province Appeals Court sentenced Keyvan Karimi to 223 lashes, 20 million Tomans fine, one year imprisonment and one year suspended imprisonment. The verdict was announced to this filmmaker’s lawyer, on Saturday.
According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency in Iran (HRANA), he had already been sentenced to six years in prison and 223 lashes by Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court, presided by judge Moghiseh in October.
Keyvan Karimi was charged with propaganda against the regime, insulting religious sanctities and intimacy through kissing and shaking hands with non-mahram women.
According to an informed source, the evidence for the charge of blasphemy is one of this director’s documentaries, named “Writing on the city”, that never was shown anywhere.
National Association of Cinema and Television of Italy, 137 Iranian writers and association and directors are some of the groups who issued letters and statements and had protested against the verdict of the primary court.
PEN of America, London and Canada also had a campaign to support Keyvan Karimi and called all the artists and asked to write letters and call on the Iranian authorities to change his sentence on appeal. On the other hand Punta de Vista Film Festival in Spain has protested against the sentence of 223 lashes on Karimi, by making a film called “Word, Whip” symbolically with the participation of 223 famous film makers. In the film, each director has to say a chosen word to show their sympathy with Karimi.
Keyvan Karimi was arrested in October 2013 and was released on the bail after about two weeks.