Iran bars prominent actress Motamed-Arya from leaving country to join Vienna Festival

Iran bars prominent actress Fatemeh Motamed-Arya, who voiced support for a wave of protests and unrest in the country last year, from traveling to Austria to participate in a multidisciplinary art festival in Vienna.

“Unfortunately, the scheduled performances of The Child have had to be cancelled as the leading actress, Fatemeh Motamed-Arya, has been denied permission to leave Iran,” the organizers of the Vienna Festival (Wiener Festwochen) said.

“The Child” was scheduled to be performed at the annual festival on June 6. The performance will be replaced by a free film screening of a recording of the play.

In early May, Tehran police said a legal case had been filed against Motamed-Arya for “unveiling the hijab in public and publishing images on social media.”

The actress had previously appeared without a mandatory hijab at a public funeral ceremony on April 18 to protest the relevant regulations.

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