Iran Court Upholds Prison Sentence, Travel Ban for Jafar Panahi

Oscar-nominated director Jafar Panahi (It Was Just An Accident) is facing another prison sentence and a travel ban after an Iranian court upheld its verdict finding him guilty of “propaganda against the regime.”

The court upheld an earlier ruling, made in-absentia when Panahi was traveling outside Iran to support the awards campaign of It Was Just an Accident, sentencing the director to a year in prison and a two-year travel ban. Panahi is also prohibted from joining political and social groups and associations.

Panahi’s lawyer, Mostafa Nili, announced on Sunday that the Tehran Revolutionary Court has rejected his objections to the rule and has upheld the verdict in full. In an interview with Iranian media outlet Emtedad, Nili said Panahi had been found guilty of making an “underground and problematic film against the establishment,” of supporting political and security prisoners, of backing popular protests against the government, supporting the “Woman, Life, Freedom” slogan, of signing and disseminating a statement in support of a truck drivers’ strike, of “painting a bleak picture” of the current state of the country, and of reposting a video clip of a protest.

Panahi’s lawyer said he has 20 days to appeal the ruling.

It Was Just an Accident was the first film Panahi made after spending 86 days in Iran’s notorious Evin prison on charges of anti-government activity dating back to 2010. He was released following a hunger strike and a successful appeal that got the original charges thrown out.

In prison, Panahi met activist and political prisoner Mehdi Mahmoudian and the two collaborated on the screenplay for the film. It Was Just an Accident follows a former political prisoner who kidnaps a man he believes to be his torturer and then debates with other dissidents whether to kill or forgive him. The film premiered in Cannes last year, winning the Palme d’Or. It was picked to represent France in the Oscars and was nominated in the best international feature category. Panahi and Mahmoudian, as well as co-writers Shadmehr Rastin and Nader Saeivar also received a best original screenplay nomination.

Mahmoudian was re-arrested in February for condemning the government’s violent crackdown on protestors which resulted in the killing of tens of thousands of people. He was released after 17 days inside.

Following the Oscars, Panahi returned to Iran, rentering the country on March 30.

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