Iran’s hardline judiciary has issued arrest warrants against a leading actress and a director over a kiss at the close of a film festival, the Teheran daily Etemad reported on Thursday.
Gowhar Khayrandish, who is in her 50’s, kissed young filmmaker Ali Zamani on the cheek while presenting him with an award at the festival in the central Iranian city of Yazd.
The gesture caused fury among Islamists who staged a
demonstration in the city’s main mosque against the ”un-Islamic behaviour which has inflicted damage on the Islamic faith.”
The judiciary also issued an arrest warrant for Mohammad-Ali Pakdel, an official of the local culture ministry, for having let the couple return to Teheran from Yazd.
Pakdel was later released on bail of 6 200 dollars.
Deputy Culture Minister Hassan Pezeshk, a reformist, said he deplored the incident but added that the young filmmaker was a former student of the actress’ late husband and the kiss was meant in a motherly fashion.
In Iran, men and women are not allowed to shake hands in public under Islamic regulations, but according to Persian custom, kissing as a form of greeting and congratulations is still common and practised in private. – Sapa-DPA