Pejman Jamshidi, a former soccer player who has worked as a film and television actor for the past decade, has long been one of the most popular public figures in Iranian society. Accused of rape, arrested and then quickly released, he left Iran for Turkey before arriving in Canada on Friday, October 31. The incident has been the most talked about topic in Iran for the past 10 days, fueling social media and daily conversations. It has deeply divided Iranians, but has also exposed the slow progress of a society that is trying step by step to free itself from misogyny and patriarchy.
It quickly became clear that the actor whose arrest for kidnapping and rape was reported by the media on October 21 was Pejman Jamhidi. According to some Iranian media, the actor was released on October 25 on bail of 200 billion tomans (about 1.6 million euros). The amount is enormous in the country’s current economic situation.
Defenders of the actress, who doubt the veracity of the allegations, and a minority who demanded justice for the victim, noting that in Iran women who dare to report sexual violence are often stigmatized, were divided as the incident raised the debate.
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