196:
corruption and prostitution." Some legal experts believed
Ebrahimi's denial would have been enough to avoid a guilty verdict had she been tried. Under Iranian law, film and video footage must be supported by additional evidence or a confession. Ebrahimi has stated that she fears her career in the Iranian entertainment industry may be over. If the actress (or another woman) were to have been charged and convicted, the punishment could have been severe. A woman found guilty of having sex outside marriage can face a penalty of up to 99
124:, Iran's deputy culture minister for film. He said that the film was a good one, but could not be released with Ebrahimi in it, and suggested that her scenes be re-shot with a different actress. The film's director, Mojataba Raei, has reportedly refused to re-shoot Ebrahimi's scenes. Shamaqdari suggested it would take a religious
147:
news agency: "I just want to tell my country’s people that I am alive. I should think of
Iranian women’s strength and defend the respect of the girls and women of my nation." Even months and years after the scandal first broke, the case became a cultural touchstone in Iran, much in the same way the
152:
had been in the United States, acting as a lightning rod for people to talk about changing attitudes toward sexuality and state authority in private life. While the response of the conservative government was one of outrage, many
Iranians viewed the scandal coolly, and were reluctant to place blame
195:
While
Ebrahimi was banned from appearing in films or on television, no formal charges were ever filed against her. An Iranian judiciary official was quoted as saying: "It depends on finding out whether she had a deliberate role in the case ... If so, it is going to be dealt with as a case of
94:
in Iran. An estimated 100,000 copies are in circulation, grossing $ 4 million, a record in the history of the
Iranian film industry. The assistant film producer appearing in the tape has said that he accidentally forgot to delete the footage from his hard drive when he sold his laptop.
172:
In
December 2006, eight people were arrested as part of the official investigation. The man in the tape, "Mr. X", who was believed to have been the one to disseminate it to the public, albeit accidentally, initially fled the country, taking up residence in
115:
was on hiatus while the scandal broke, producers of two films in which
Ebrahimi starred were advised by Iranian authorities not to release the films while the investigation was ongoing. As of 2010, these films still had not been released. One of them,
192:, sex during temporary marriage is permitted. Nevertheless, "Mr. X" was tried and imprisoned. The legal fate of the others arrested in this investigation, whether they were eventually exonerated or not, went unreported in the news media.
207:
in Iran. Inside Iran, however, people claim that there have been others before this, but that this is the first one that was publicly acknowledged, and the first time the legal authorities decided to do something about it.
507:
63:
The tape graphically depicts twenty minutes of sex between a woman and a man in a small room with a narrow bed. The man who admitted to his role in the tape is an assistant film producer who was engaged to an
228:. In 2009, news outlets began reporting the arrest of suspects under this law, so presumably it has been approved. The bill's drafting is widely believed to be a direct response to this sex tape scandal.
44:. The actress denied that the tape was of her, while the film producer reportedly has claimed that it is him. The scandal virtually ended the actress's career; she was banned from Iranian films in 2006.
143:. The worry that something may have happened to her grew worse when she was forbidden from speaking in public by the Iranian authorities. To quell the rumor, she ultimately made a statement to the
164:. It is possible to use studio make-up to have a person look like me. I have some knowledge of montage techniques and I know you can create a new face by distorting the features of another person."
79:. The man was referred to in the Iranian media as "Mr. X". The actress denied that the woman in the film is her, and accused her ex-fiancé of releasing a pornographic film featuring himself and a
355:
160:, she said, "I watched the film after I heard about the fuss from colleagues and the girl in it is not me. I admit there are some similarities to the character I played in
103:
The tape and the publicity surrounding it caused a massive scandal in Iran, such that Iran's fundamentalist clerics have labeled it a "national shame". Iranian politician
674:
203:
While the west in the 21st century has been fairly inundated with such news, this was widely acknowledged by western news sources to have been the first
510:
387:
543:
295:
850:
36:, and an associate producer, accused of appearing together in an explicit sex tape, allegedly filmed for private consumption with a
760:
734:"Death Penalty for Porn in Iran?: Iranian Parliament Backs Executions For Those Convicted In Production Of Pornographic Movies"
220:
voted overwhelmingly in support of a bill that could make the production of and participation in pornographic media an offense
684:
458:
86:
The tape was reportedly made in 2004, although it only came to prominence in early 2006. It has seen wide distribution on
835:
72:
845:
104:
544:"Sex in Iran: A Leaked Erotic Video Allegedly Exposes an Iranian Actress and Lifts the Veil on a Conflicted Society"
860:
52:
149:
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111:. Ebrahimi was interrogated at length by the Iranian authorities, but was never charged with any crime. While
855:
840:
51:
to pass a bill making the production of sexually explicit media, even for private consumption, an offense
71:
actress at the time, who he claimed is the woman in the tape. Neither of the suspects were named by the
477:
462:
384:
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787:"X-Rated Executions in Iran: The country's Parliament passes a bill sentencing porn stars to death"
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24:
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shortly afterwards. He was reported to have claimed that he and the woman in the film were
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177:. After Iranian investigators requested he be arrested, the man was apprehended and
140:
156:
Ebrahimi flatly denies that she is the woman in the tape. In an interview with the
711:
580:
197:
157:
447:
816:
Zahra Amir
Ebrahimi talks with the BBC about the video which almost cost her life
819:
448:"Narges: Constructing and Contesting Identities in an Iranian Television Serial"
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125:
424:"Iranian actor in sex video scandal says ex-fiance faked footage"
319:بازيگر ايرانی درگير در ماجرای فيلم پورنو، نامزد سابقش را متهم کرد
224:. To become law, the bill still required the approval of Iran's
65:
47:
The case served as a catalyst to prompt the lower house of the
87:
139:
because of all the negative media attention after her police
633:"Iranian soap star faces lashing after sex tape made public"
107:
also became involved, demanding
Ebrahimi (but not Mr. X) be
23:
involves the public outcry and judicial proceedings against
675:"Pornography Producers to Get Death Penalty Under New Law"
576:"Iran may need fatwa to lift ban on "Journey to Hidalou""
606:"Iranian official's remarks on hijab outrage top cleric"
144:
356:"Regime Decides to Un-Ban 13 Films it Had Forbidden"
508:"The actress, the Internet, the sex film and Iran"
651:"Iranian police arrest pornographic film actors"
120:was reviewed for compliance with Islamic law by
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344:
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761:"Majlis Approves Death for Porn Video Makers"
8:
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273:Iranian Soap Star Swept up in Video Scandal
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128:to approve Ebrahimi's films for release.
441:
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236:
486:
475:
7:
574:Tehran Times Art Desk (2010-02-01).
185:at the time. Under the precepts of
542:Esfandiari, Pari; Buskin, Richard.
385:"Iran Moves to Execute Porn Stars"
14:
785:Clark-Flory, Tracy (2007-06-13).
763:. Iran News Daily. Archived from
707:"Iran May Execute Porn Producers"
27:, an actress who appeared in the
383:The Associated Press. (2007).
705:Associated Press (2007-06-14).
429:. Retrieved November 27, 2006.
306:. Retrieved December 26, 2006.
75:, the state-run news agency in
521:. Retrieved November 8, 2006.
243:May 2007. Sex, Iranian Style.
135:was rumored to have attempted
1:
732:Walker, Kenly (2007-06-14).
279:Retrieved December 26, 2006.
73:Islamic Republic News Agency
851:Human rights abuses in Iran
649:Tait, Robert (2009-03-09).
639:Retrieved November 8, 2006.
398:. Retrieved June 13, 2007.
105:Ghorbanali Dorri-Najafabadi
877:
316:اميد فراستی (2006-11-23).
205:celebrity sex tape scandal
153:on the woman in the tape.
446:Delap, Josephine (2007).
150:O. J. Simpson murder case
318:
40:, a serious crime under
21:Iranian sex tape scandal
680:Adnkronos International
671:Adnkronos International
485:Cite journal requires
271:Bednarz, D. (2006.)
212:Subsequent legislation
200:with a leather strap.
83:to damage her career.
836:Sex scandals in Iran
463:University of Oxford
631:Tait, R. (2006).
506:Reuters. (2006.)
459:St Antony's College
222:punishable by death
183:temporarily married
53:punishable by death
25:Zahra Amir Ebrahimi
846:Censorship in Iran
822:, January 2, 2010.
759:Associated Press.
513:2007-01-04 at the
422:Tait, R. (2006).
390:2007-06-13 at the
298:2007-03-18 at the
218:Parliament of Iran
216:In June 2007, the
118:Journey to Hidalou
49:Parliament of Iran
861:Sexuality in Iran
556:on April 19, 2010
360:The Iranian Times
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683:. Archived from
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637:The Guardian UK.
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602:Mehr News Agency
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291:December 2006.
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226:Guardian Council
122:Javad Shamaqdari
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109:stoned to death
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856:Cinema of Iran
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673:(2007-07-30).
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656:Guardian.co.uk
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604:(2010-02-05).
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487:|journal=
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354:(2010-02-12).
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19:The so-called
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841:Crime in Iran
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767:on 2011-07-13
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687:on 2007-07-12
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141:interrogation
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90:and over the
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796:. Retrieved
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769:. Retrieved
765:the original
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743:. Retrieved
737:
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716:. Retrieved
712:Deseret News
710:
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689:. Retrieved
685:the original
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613:. Retrieved
609:
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585:. Retrieved
581:Tehran Times
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558:. Retrieved
554:the original
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478:cite journal
467:. Retrieved
426:
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363:. Retrieved
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330:. Retrieved
328:(in Persian)
323:
311:
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293:"Tehran XXX"
277:Der Spiegel.
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16:2006 scandal
820:Iranian.com
325:BBC Persian
168:Prosecution
158:Guardian UK
131:For a time
42:Iranian law
830:Categories
798:2010-05-02
771:2010-05-02
745:2010-05-02
718:2010-05-02
691:2010-04-28
615:2010-05-03
587:2010-05-03
560:2010-05-01
469:2010-05-02
365:2010-05-01
332:2010-05-02
232:References
179:extradited
69:soap opera
29:soap opera
792:Salon.com
81:lookalike
38:camcorder
739:CBS News
511:Archived
388:Archived
296:Archived
133:Ebrahimi
99:Response
92:internet
59:The tape
610:Payvand
549:Playboy
519:Reuters
465:: 84–93
396:CNN.com
245:Playboy
175:Armenia
137:suicide
66:Iranian
33:Nargess
455:Oxford
198:lashes
162:Narges
113:Narges
77:Tehran
818:" at
451:(PDF)
190:Islam
187:Shi'a
126:fatwa
491:help
145:ILNA
635:.
517:.
394:.
302:.
275:.
88:DVD
832::
789:.
736:.
709:.
677:.
653:.
624:^
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578:.
546:.
526:^
499:^
482::
480:}}
476:{{
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