Several statues in Rome's Capitoline Museum were covered with white plywood boxes ahead of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's visit to the country, in an effort to avoid offending the Islamic republic's leader. A video on Italian news sites showed the measures taken to conceal the works of art.
Rouhani and his aides are on a five-day tour of Europe, seeking to boost economic ties after international sanctions were lifted against the country following Iran's agreement to limit its nuclear program last year. Italian firms are expected to sign deals with Iran this week worth up to 17 billion euros.
The Italian government's censoring of the artworks was conceived as a sign of respect for Rouhani, according to Italian news agency Ansa, but Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has nonetheless been met with criticism for the decision.
Iranian women's rights campaign group My Stealthy Freedom called on female Iranian politicians to speak out against injustice, stating "Dear Italy. Apparently, you respect the values of the Islamic Republic, but the problem is the Islamic Republic of Iran does not respect our values or our freedom of choice."
Luca Squeri, a lawmaker in Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right Forza Italia party, said "Respect for other cultures cannot and must not mean negating our own. This isn't respect, it's cancelling out differences and it's a kind of surrender," according to a statement given to Reuters.
The 41-year-old Renzi was in the hot seat for similar reasons last year when he covered up nude pictures in the renaissance town hall of Florence on the occasion of a visit by the crown prince of the United Arab Emirates. It was noted at the time that Michelangelo's sculpture David remained uncovered throughout.
