Sunday after serving a year in prison for his crime. Unusually, photos of Aref after the lashing circulated widely, proving a major embarrassment for the president. He issued a statement saying he disapproved of the flogging of Aref for insulting him “when high profile figures freely insult the government.” At right, Aref shows off his back after his flogging. Above, his wife and a friend help Aref to a car after he was released from prison following the flogging. There may be another flogging soon. An actress, Marzieh Vafamehr, has been sentenced to a year in jail and 90 lashes for appearing in a film critical of limits on artists. It was as if the government was out to prove that the film’s criticism was 
correct. The film, “My Tehran For Sale,” was produced by an Australian company and directed by Iranian-Australian Granaz Moussavi.
