Mahmoud Shokraye

Mahmoud Shokraye is an Iranian cartoonist. He is most famous in English-speaking world for being sentenced to 25 lashes for a caricature he drew for a newspaper of a local member of parliament for the city of Arak.

Shokraye drew a cartoon of local politician Ahmad Lotfi Ashtiani for Nameye Amir, a city newspaper in Arak. The cartoon depicts Ashtiani in a football stadium, dressed as a footballer, with a congratulatory letter in one hand and his foot resting on the ball. Ashtiani sued Shokraye for insulted him. The Markazi provincial court then found in favor of Ashtiani and sentenced the cartoonist to 25 lashes. Nikahang Kowsar, a prominent Iranian cartoonist who was also punished for caricaturing a prominent official told the Guardian newspaper: "This verdict is a direct threat to each and every cartoonist working inside Iran. From now on, if this sentence is not set aside, any public official could sue the cartoonists for portraying him/her in a cartoon.".