Iranian cartoonist sentenced to 25 lashes

Wp-Content Uploads 2012 05 Mahmoud Shokraiyeh Iranian newspaper cartoonist Mahmoud Shokraiyeh drew an Iranian Parliament Member wearing a soccer jersey. For that reason, he was sentenced to 25 lashes. Why would the government want to flog someone for this reason?

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http://twitter.com/eyrea Katherine Hajer

Why would the government want to flog someone? The same reason parliamentarians in countries that don’t have flogging wish they could order 25 lashes for cartoons: it’s “disrespectful” to show them as anything but members of the ruling class, even in places where football is a respected athletic endeavour.

IMHO parliamentarians should be required to pass a humour test before they’re allowed to run for office.
- Finnagain
  
  No no. They are flogging him because the cartoon is not funny. How will the artists ever learn if we don’t give them feedback?
http://twitter.com/eyrea Katherine Hajer

Why would the government want to flog someone? The same reason parliamentarians in countries that don’t have flogging wish they could order 25 lashes for cartoons: it’s “disrespectful” to show them as anything but members of the ruling class, even in places where football is a respected athletic endeavour.

IMHO parliamentarians should be required to pass a humour test before they’re allowed to run for office.
Mitch_M

I hope he draws a cartoon of himself getting flogged for drawing a cartoon!
- http://twitter.com/samthepea Sam Pourasghar
  
  The punishment doesn’t suit the crime, they should have drawn pictures of him with ill fitting garments to see how he likes it. Also if they must flog, I’d like them to adopt the British meaning of the word which is “to sell”. Being sold 25 times is demeaning and long winded, but less painful I expect.
Ito Kagehisa

They flog you for the same reason the TSA takes away your baby’s bottle.
- Antinous / Moderator
  
  Because they can?
  - Ito Kagehisa
    
    Got it in one!
Mister44

Why? It’s Iran.
http://www.disoriented.net/ angusm

“It is dangerous to be right funny when the government is wrong.”
- pwbwd
  
  Is that a quote? If so, who said it, it is very good.
- pwbwd
  
  Is that a quote? If so, who said it, it is very good.
  - oldtaku
    
    Voltaire: ‘It is dangerous to be right in matters where established men are wrong.’ Of course he wrote it in French so the translation can be a little loose.
theophrastvs

“Show any more such ‘disrespect’ and the next cloud you draw will be interpreted officially as a depiction of Mohammed”
theophrastvs

“Show any more such ‘disrespect’ and the next cloud you draw will be interpreted officially as a depiction of Mohammed”
freemanf00

There really isnt much detail on this story. The link eventually leads to this article http://iranbriefing.net/?p=12835 which is no more enlightening. Is there anything out there more solid?
- Ultan
  
  Not in English, so far as I can tell. Google Translate is far from perfect, especially with such a allusive and metaphorical language as Persian, but it seems this ruling has caused a good deal of outrage in Iran. Here are two Persian sources: asriran and 20news.
  - freemanf00
    
    Thanks Ultan. They are very hard to read but I think I understood that its not unusual to draw cartoons of mp’s so I cant figure out why this guys been singled out. I am sure theres a lot more to this story. Shame its not being picked up by any other western media.
Navin_Johnson

Why would the government want to flog someone for this reason?

Better to ask why such a government came to exist at all. You can find your answers here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_Iranian_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat
Navin_Johnson

Why would the government want to flog someone for this reason?

Better to ask why such a government came to exist at all. You can find your answers here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_Iranian_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat
http://ae4rv.com/ royaltrux

Never would have seen or heard about this were it not for the harsh sentence. Streisand effect in action?
http://imcravingpresidency.tumblr.com/ SedanChair

So, after following the reblogging chain for about 5 jumps, this is the work of the IranBriefing Foundation, a “Non-Profit Human Rights Organization registered in the United States”:

http://iranbriefing.net/?p=12835

Forgive me for being a little suspicious.
- BBNinja
  
  Right. This doesn’t sound like Iran. This is like totally uncharacteristic for the Iranian government.
  —_________—
  - http://imcravingpresidency.tumblr.com/ SedanChair
    
    Where do you get your news about Iran?
  - http://imcravingpresidency.tumblr.com/ SedanChair
    
    Where do you get your news about Iran?
oldtaku

He violated the Political Cartoonists’ Code by not slapping enough labels on everything.
realityhater

are you sure it was the football jersey and not the artistic interpretation of his 2nd chin with the beard ? – very unflattering
realityhater

are you sure it was the football jersey and not the artistic interpretation of his 2nd chin with the beard ? – very unflattering
realityhater

are you sure it was the football jersey and not the artistic interpretation of his 2nd chin with the beard ? – very unflattering
woid

Let’s see, 25 lashes, 11 players on a soccer team… I give up. What’s the house number?