Cinema House Condemns Yaltharat's Insult to Artists

Following the reactions of Iranian filmmakers to the 'insult' by the Yaltharat publication, the Cinema House condemned this publication's disrespect towards artists. In a statement released after a meeting of this group on Sunday, August 10, it described the Yaltharat publication as 'immoral, unlawful, and hypocritical' and emphasized that for this 'vulgar insult,' Iranian laws foresee a 'legal punishment of qadhf' (whipping). According to ILNA news agency, the Cinema House stated that it expects regulatory and judicial authorities in the country to respond 'correctively' to the perpetrators of this 'disrespect.' This organization stressed that it considers itself 'obligated to provide comprehensive support to those who have been insulted.' The Yaltharat publication, in its recent issue, criticized the attire of some actresses and their husbands at the 'Hafez' cinema-television festival and used an insulting headline regarding male actors. This article has received significant backlash, with many actors and directors protesting against it. The Iranian Actors Guild has also called for 'restoration of dignity' and 'decisive judicial action against this disrespect.' Meanwhile, according to the Entekhab website, Shahaab Hosseini, a famous Iranian actor, wrote on his Instagram page that 'your hands are not worthy of the respect of the pen. Put it down and join your ISIS-like companions.' He added: 'To bring the name of art and artists of this land to your mouth, rinse it out, as you have no right to comment on the beloved of this people's hearts.' Ahmad Tavakoli, a prominent principlist figure, also stated that the Yaltharat article has a 'legal punishment.' Tavakoli said that the operators of Yaltharat 'should first think about saving themselves from the fire of hell before thinking about correcting others...' Meanwhile, Yaltharat responded to Mr. Tavakoli's remarks by stating that in its article, it 'did not relate to anyone.' This publication also accused the artists participating in the 'Hafez Festival' of turning the event into a 'vulgar fashion hall' and of 'deliberately and widely disseminating images of it in cyberspace and media to promote unprecedented records of vulgarity and nudity.' Yaltharat, a publication affiliated with the 'Ansar Hezbollah' group, which supports the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, has previously been suspended several times by the Iranian Press Supervisory Board and has resumed publication by court order. In recent years, publications that have had their licenses revoked by the Press Supervisory Board have usually ceased publication permanently. In this context, the Iranian Actors Guild has called for judicial action against 'Yaltharat.'