Iran's Parliament Approves Death Penalty for Pornographers

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran's parliament has approved a bill that would give the death penalty to all persons convicted of being involved in the production of a pornographic film.

With only four abstentions, lawmakers voted 148-5 that "producers of pornographic works and main elements in their production are considered corruptors of the world and could be sentenced to punishment as corruptors of the world."

The "main elements" of porn production encompass directors, producers, cameramen and actors.

CNN reports that "corruptors of the world" is a term taken from the Quran, the Muslim holy book. The act is considered one of the most major criminal offenses in the country and is punishable by death.

Distributors and vendors of pornographic material — and even operators of websites that feature pornographic material — also are susceptible to punishment, a sentence that would range from one year in prison up to the death penalty.

The bill passed through parliament's culture committee last month, and must next be approved by the Guardian Council, a 12-member panel that holds veto power over all legislation, before it becomes law.

Saiid Mortazavi, president of Tehran's criminal court, has said previously that he would sentence to death all parties involved in making adult movies of any kind. The government has executed producers of adult material in the past.

Middle-eastern news site AKI reported in 2005 that a man who had made several adult movies with his wife was publicly hanged, and a female porn star was stoned to death after spending eight years in prison for appearing in an adult film.

The government turned a more attentive eye to the amateur porn market, which brings in up to $40 for each product, in November after a tape circulated featuring popular TV actress Zahra Air Ebrahimi performing a sexual act.

And in January, a group of 31 people faced the death sentence after being charged with producing an adult movie using a cellphone and sexually assaulting the actress featured in the film.

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