Iranian authorities escalate pressure on arts and media activists

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(Ali Ameri) – While visiting New York City to receive awards for his latest film, the acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi also received a one-year prison sentence by a “Revolutionary Court” in his homeland.

This is another sign of the fact that the Iranian regime has been intensifying its oppression of artists, literati, and journalists, among others, particularly after the 12-day war with Israel in June.   

In New York, Panahi received three Gotham Awards for his Palme d’Or-winning film It Was Just an Accident, the story of an investigator-tormentor from the Intelligence Ministry who is hunted and captured by one of his former victims in Tehran. 

Panahi has also been sentenced to a two-year travel ban as well as another ban on joining political or social organizations for propaganda against the [Holy] system. The latest verdict against him could be interpreted as a retaliatory act against his It Was Just an Accident, which has been received very favorably by the international film critics and festivals.  

Moreover, recently, at a private birthday party in Tehran for the award-winning theater actor Ali Shadman, members of the Iranian Intelligence Ministry raided the party and reportedly arrested over twenty known Iranian theater actors and directors on the pretext of breaking religious taboos, such as drinking alcohol, possession of alcoholic drinks and so-called violating public decency. Although several of them were later released on bail, the cases are still open for the attendees of the party.

Shadman had already dedicated his jury prize at a domestic theater festival in September to imprisoned Iranian theater actor Hossein Mohammadi, who was detained at the height of the nationwide “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests, which shook the pillars of the regime throughout the country.

These are just examples of such practices that are not new in the Islamic Republic of Iran. However, badly defeated and deeply wounded after the Israeli-American air raids to Iran, the theocracy wants to show people that it still has everything under control, does not want to listen to its nation and is ready to oppress any dissident act.

On the other hand, people and experts say the regime wants to take revenge from people for serial defeats in the Middle East, their crushed proxy paramilitary forces in the region, and slain top commanders. Therefore, the statesmen are showing that they don’t intend to give up their last barricade.

As a dissident and resistant cineaste, Jafar Panahi has been persecuted by Iranian rulers already for several years. In 2010, a Tehran Revolutionary court issued a verdict against Panahi for what called “assembly and collusion with the intention to commit crimes against national security” and “propaganda against the Islamic Republic.”

Therefore, he was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment and a 20-year ban on filmmaking and writing screenplays (!). The director was also prohibited from giving interviews and traveling abroad. Although Panahi was sentenced to six years, he served only about two months in prison and then was released on bail. The longer sentence remained conditional and subject to revocation.

During the 2010-2020s, despite the official ban on his work, Panahi continued to make films in secret. In 2011, he clandestinely took This Is Not a Film to the Cannes Festival inside a cake, and later continued by making films such as Taxi, No Bears and others under very limited tricky conditions.

During his visit to the prosecutor’s office in July 2022, Panahi was detained after visiting the prosecutor’s office to ask about the imprisonment of directors Mohammad Rasoulof and Mustafa Al-e Ahmad as a sign of comradeship and solidarity.

After the recent Tehran’s court verdict against him, Panahi’s defense lawyer said that he is going to appeal the verdict. The director himself said on Thursday that he will be back home “at any rate”.