Many in Iran are in a tither about an Iranian actress being kissed in public at the Cannes Film Festival. In their eyes she has violated public morality and should be flogged. Flogging is not a trifling matter in Iran. The sentence can vary from 10 to 100 lashes across the back with a three-foot whip. The pain is so severe that offenders often faint after seven or eight strokes. Crimes that violate public morality include adultery, kissing in public, theft, homosexual acts, drinking or selling alcohol, and blasphemy. Even foreigners may be flogged if they have sexual relations with a Muslim.
Amnesty International has declared flogging to be a form of torture; it is banned by international law.
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