Iranian Actress Bolukat Handed Prison Term, Banned from Acting

Celebrated Iranian actress Leila Bolukat has been sentenced to one year in prison and banned from acting for two-year for flouting the Islamic Republic’s mandatory headscarf rules.

Branch 1088 of Tehran’s Second Criminal Court also slapped a two-year travel ban and a five-year ban from using social media on Bolukat.

The actress is also required to read a book and provide a summary of it to the authorities within one month.

In an act of defiance against the ideology and laws of the Islamic Republic, a growing number of women, including many actresses, have appeared in public without hijab since nationwide protests erupted in September last year.

Many defiant women have been arrested, summoned by the authorities and prosecuted, with criminal courts issuing harsh sentences against the defendants. Hundreds of businesses have been shut down for allegedly failing to enforce the Islamic Republic’s strict dress codes on their customers. 

Actresses including Taraneh Alidoosti, Katayoun Riahi, and Hengameh Ghaziani have been arrested for failing to cover their hair in public.

Azadeh Samadi, an actress who appeared in public while wearing a hat, must attend bi-weekly psychotherapy sessions to treat her “antisocial personality disorder.”