Iran: Jafar Panahi is third Iranian filmmaker arrested in lower than per week

HRW described Rasoulof as an outspoken critic who was beforehand sentenced in an Iranian courtroom to “one yr in jail and a two-year ban on making movies on the cost of ‘propaganda towards the system’ for the content material of his films.”

The filmmakers’ arrests have drawn worldwide condemnation.

On Monday, the Cannes Movie Competition issued an announcement demanding “the rapid launch” of Panahi and of Rasoulof and Aleahmad, who it mentioned had been “protesting towards violence towards civilians in Iran.”

“The Competition de Cannes strongly condemns these arrests in addition to the wave of repression clearly in progress in Iran towards its artists,” it mentioned.

Panahi’s movie “three Faces” gained finest screenplay at Cannes in 2018; Rasoulof’s work has gained a number of awards on the pageant since 2011.

‘Repressive reflex’

Individually, Iran’s former deputy inside minister, Mostafa Tajzadeh, was additionally arrested final Friday, accused of colluding towards nationwide safety, and of “publishing lies to disturb public opinion,” in line with Iran’s semi-official Fars Information Company.

Tajzadeh, who briefly served underneath President Mohammad Khatami in 1998, has develop into an outspoken authorities critic, not too long ago tweeting to his 350,000 followers that “in line with the newest Stasis survey, 57% of Iranians” help the Iranian nuclear deal “and 17% are towards it.”