28/10/2015 (Agence Europe) - MEPs launch petition in support of Iranian film director Keywan Karimi. On Tuesday 27 October, around 40 MEPs from different political groups signed a support petition for Iranian film direct Keywan Karimi who, on 13 October, was sentenced to six years in prison and 223 lashes for “propagating against the ruling system” and “insulting religious sanctities”. The Iranian authorities condemn all Karimi's films and reproach him for “illicit relations” for having shaken women's hands. The petition is addressed to the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, and asks him to cancel Karimi's sentence under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which have both been ratified by Iran. “This condemnation is in total contradiction with the Charter and therefore the international obligations of your country”, the petition states. (IL)