Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi was released on bail after seven months in Evin prison, after he went on a hunger and thirst strike 48 hours ago. Panahi was serving a six-year prison sentence for “propaganda against the system.” The filmmaker’s wife, Tahereh Saeidi, telephoned film critic Mansour Jahani to announce that Panahi had been released through the efforts of lawyers.
Jafar Panahi’s arrest
The arrest stretches back to last July, when it was stopped after two other Iranian directors, Mohamad Rasoulof and Mostafa al-Ahmad, went to the Tehran prosecutor’s office to ask for information about their arrest. The director was later jailed because he had to serve an earlier sentence than a judge.
His wife, Tahereh Saeedi, posted a photo of Panahi exiting the prison in a vehicle on Instagram. “Jafar Panahi has been temporarily released from Evin prison thanks to the efforts of his family, respected lawyers and cinema representatives,” said the Iranian Film House, which brings together industry professionals.
The announcement that Panahi would go on a full-blown hunger strike sparked a worldwide wave of concern for the director, who won awards at all three major film festivals in Europe. “Today, like many people stranded in Iran, I have no choice but to protest this inhumane act with my most precious asset: my life,” Panahi said in her husband’s published statement. Maybe I will stay in this state until my lifeless body is released from prison.”
Panahi won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 2000 for the movie “Circle”. In 2015, he received the Golden Bear award in Berlin for the film Taxi Tehran, and the best screenplay award in Cannes in 2018 with the film Three Hundred. Panahi’s latest film, No Bears, premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September, a week before the protests in Iran began.
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
