Iranian actor Taraneh Alidoosti arrested after criticizing the death penalty | Iran

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Taraneh Alidoosti, one of Iran’s most famous actresses, was arrested by security forces in Tehran days after she criticized the state’s use of the death penalty against protesters.

She had previously posted a photo of herself on her Instagram page in which she was not wearing a hijab and was holding a piece of paper reading Women, Life, Freedom, the slogan that has come to sum up the fight against the current Iranian regime.

Alidoosti is considered one of the most influential Iranian actresses of her generation, and her arrest is a sign that the state wants to crack down on celebrities, artists and sports figures who have used their platform to challenge the regime.

It is unclear which department of Iran’s multi-layered security services took her from her home, but the Tehran prosecutor’s office alleged that Alidoosti failed to provide documents to substantiate his provocative remarks. The news of his arrest was transmitted by Samia Mirshamsi, director.

Mirshamsi said Alidoostis’ house was searched and her whereabouts were unknown. Later, the judicial news agency Mizan confirmed Alidoostis’ arrest, saying his case was being further investigated.

Alidoosti has won numerous awards throughout her career, including when The Seller, in which she starred, won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2016.

The Tasnim news agency, close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, said she was arrested because of her decision to publish false and distorted content that incited riots and supported anti-Iranian movements.

Alidoosti’s photo without hijab has been liked over a million times. It emerged that her Instagram account, which has more than 8 million followers, had been shut down. In his last Instagram post, the actor said: His name was Mohsen Shekari. Every international organization that observes this bloodbath and does not act is a disgrace to humanity.

Shekari was executed on December 9 after being accused by an Iranian court of blocking a street in Tehran and wounding a member of the country’s security forces with a machete.

Alidoostis’ father, Hamid Alidoosti, played football for the Iranian national team and was the first Iranian to play for a foreign team.

Fluent in German and English, Alidoosti has also translated books by Alice Munro and Nicole Krauss from English into Persian.

She had sworn not to leave Iran, writing: I have no passport or place of residence except in Iran. I’ll stay and look you straight in the eye like all those normal people when I’m crying out for my rights.

I inherited this courage from the women of my land, who for years have been living their lives, every day with resistance I will stay, I will not give up, I will stand alongside the families of the prisoners and murdered and demand their rights. I will fight for my home, I will pay what it takes to defend my rights, and most importantly: I believe in what we are building together today.

In the last phase of repression. Iran appears to be targeting celebrities and journalists who it says are instilling Western values ​​in a younger generation.

A former member of Iran’s national rowing team and press photographer has been sentenced to seven years in prison, a two-year ban on leaving the country and 74 lashes for allegedly participating in rallies and protests. propaganda against the regime.

Aria Jafari is a member of the Professional Association of Press Photographers of Iran and in November 2014 was arrested for photographing the protest rally of Isfahan residents against acid attacks and social insecurity. His recent arrest took place in his house in Isfahan.

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The verdict is not final and it is possible to appeal. If the sentence is confirmed, a five-year prison sentence will be applied.

Another blow to judicial independence, Mohammad Ali Kamfirouzi, the lawyer for two women journalists detained after reporting the death of a woman in police custody, was himself arrested.

Kamfirouzi’s own lawyer, Mohammad Ali Bagherpour, reportedly said his client did not receive a summons, was unaware of the charges against him and was detained without any legal formalities.

His brother said he held the judiciary responsible for protecting my brother’s life and health.

Among Kamfirouzi’s clients were Niloofar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi, the two female journalists arrested after covering the death of Mahsa Aminis and its aftermath.

Hamedi, who works at the reformist newspaper Shargh, was arrested on September 20 after going to the hospital where Amini had spent three days in a coma before her death.

Mohammadi, a journalist with Ham Mihan, was arrested on September 29 after traveling to Saqez, Aminis’ hometown, in Kurdistan province, to report on her funeral.

The two men were charged on Nov. 8 with anti-state propaganda and conspiracy against capital crimes for national security under Iran’s Sharia law.

According to the latest report by the Iranian Human Rights Organization, released on Saturday, at least 469 people, including 63 children and 32 women, were killed by the security and law enforcement forces of the Islamic Republic since nationwide protests began. .

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