UPDATE: MARZIEH VAFAMEHR/90 LASHES
OCTOBER 12, 2011. Iranian actress sentenced to a year in prison and 90 lashes by the government of Iran—for acting in a film portraying the plight of free-thinking artists in her country.
Many brief press reports, no major media campaign on her behalf, fellow actors in America fail to organize, remain silent.
Well, I spoke with spokesperson Megan Mattson at the US State Department a few minutes ago, and she released the following statement:
“We are deeply disturbed by today’s news that independent filmmaker and actress Marzieh Vafamehr was sentenced to 90 lashes and one year for her work in the independent film ‘My Tehran for Sale.’
“Her sentence is a clear example of Iran’s increasing crackdown on its media and cultural figures. Bloggers, students, religious figures, artists, journalists and civil society activists are all suffering at the hands of a regime that hypocritically champions freedom in neighboring countries but fails to grant such liberties at home.
“These actions only intensify Iran’s isolation in the international community. We continue to stand with those Iranians who want nothing more than to make their voices heard and hold their government accountable for its actions.”
What to make of this? First of all, the US government has no diplomatic relations (along ordinary channels) with the government of Iran, so whatever US authorities may be doing to secure Marzieh’s release (and I’m not holding my breath) is passing through the hands of the Swiss, as a third party.
But why am I not reading this State Department statement anywhere, except on this page? Why aren’t the NY Times, Washington Post, LA Times, and the TV networks carrying it and exerting pressure?
They don’t think it’s an important story? They don’t think their readers would be interested? I have news for their numb editors—it could become a major story if they gave it enough space and exposure.
For example: WHAT DO 90 LASHES FEEL LIKE? 90.
WHAT KIND OF GOVERNMENT DOLES OUT THAT SENTENCE FOR ACTING IN A FILM?
How disconnected and circumspect do you have to be to not see at least the storyline possibilities? And suppose, God forbid, you also saw the human side of it.
There was a time when what is happening to Marzieh Vafamehr would have been front-page news. But that was when people in media still thought about individual freedom—now a defunct concept. Reporters have been educated and trained out of it. Editors shrug at it.
Jon Rappoport