“Under the initial verdict, Panahi had been sentenced to one year in prison on the charge of engaging in propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran," Mostafa Nili, the lawyer of the acclaimed and Cannes Palme d’Or winner Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, said in an interview with the Iranian media outlet 'Emtedad'.
Nili added that he was also handed a two-year travel ban and prohibited from joining political and social groups and associations. With this, the Branch 26 of Tehran's Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari, has upheld the original verdict in full.
He explained that the grounds cited for the verdict included making an “underground and problematic film against the establishment,” supporting political and security prisoners, backing popular protests against the government, supporting the “Woman, Life, Freedom” slogan, signing and disseminating a statement in support of a lorry drivers’ strike, “painting a bleak picture” of the country’s situation, and reposting a video clip of a collective performance of the anthem “Ey Iran” in protest at the issuing and carrying out of death sentences.
Panahi’s lawyer noted that the ruling can be appealed to the Tehran Provincial Court of Appeal within 20 days of notification.
The initial court ruling against Panahi was issued while he was abroad taking part in the publicity campaign for the film “A Simple Accident”, which, after winning the Cannes Palme d’Or, was selected to represent France in the race for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.
Despite the in absentia verdict, this prominent Iranian director returned to Iran on 30 March after attending the Oscars; his return coincided with the continuation of the war between the United States and Israel on the one hand and the Iranian authorities on the other.
In 2022 and 2023, Panahi spent 86 days in Evin Prison on charges of “propaganda against the state”. He was released after going on a hunger strike, and after his appeal was accepted, which led to the annulment of the initial charges.
