An Iranian court suspended a previous sentence of 74 whippings against actress Gohar Kheirandish for kissing young director Ali Zamani during the Iranian film awards ceremony held last year. The actress had kissed the director when she presented him with the prize for number one director.
The actress and the director were seized at once and taken to prison, as judicial authorities in Iran ordered the detention of both stars, for causing a scandal among conservatives, reported the UAE based daily, Al Bayan.
The renowned 50-year old actress, Kheirandish, was reported to be returning to Yazd to face the charges, whereas, the young director was released on bail of about $2000. the court's decision to revoke the sentence came when the actress apologized for her actions and made a vow not to behave in such a manner ever again.
Iranian cleric, Mohsen Taleb Poor, representative of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Yazd, called for pursuing the “guilty” and bringing them to the court.
Mohammed Ali Bakdal, the security chief at the Iranian Ministry of Culture in Yazd, was also detained for allegedly helping the suspects flee the city. However, he was later released on bail of unknown amount.
During the festival the Kheirandish has kissed Zamani in front of an audience of 2000 persons while he was climbing the stage to receive his award. This action had aroused the conservatives in Yazd who perceived it as “immoral behavior.”
Zamani said that, “she was deeply affected by my speech about her late husband who was my teacher. So she shook hands with me and kissed me as her son.”
On another note, another overt kiss sparked a storm of condemnation when the Mayor of the City of Ardabil (northwest Iran) was kissed by a girl during the inauguration of a garden in the city. - Albawaba.com
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
