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Iranian director and screenwriter Saeed Roustayi has been sentenced to six months in prison for screening his film Leila’s Brothers at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival without necessary authorization, according to local reports.

The filmmaker — alongside his producer Javad Noruzbegi — were on Tuesday found guilty of “contributing to propaganda of the opposition against the Islamic system” by Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Court, as per reports in the Iranian daily Etemad and Radio Free Europe.

The court ruled that the two will serve about nine days in jail, while the remainder of the sentence will be suspended over five years, during which time they have effectively been banned from making films. The requirements say that they “refrain from activities related to the committed crime or using tools effective in it,” “avoid contact and association with individuals active in the film industry” and “attend a filmmaking course at the Qom Sound and Vision Academy.

“Woman. Life. Freedom.”

“Zan. Zindagi. Azadi.”

These words have been chanted around the world for months in support of Iranian women who are demanding freedom of expression and an end to the country’s oppressive rules for women.

This inspiring female-led movement was sparked by the death of Jina “Mahsa” Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman who died while in custody of morality police for allegedly wearing a loose headscarf.

Iran is now experiencing its biggest wave of demonstrations in decades, with acts of protest by female demonstrators including publicly removing their hijab or cutting their hair. The cry for change has even won awards. Shervin Hajipour’s “Baraye” – Iran’s unofficial protest anthem – made history by becoming the first award-winner for a new Grammy Award category, “Best Song for Social Change.”

Iran’s security forces have responded with reportedly deadly force, with over 500 people killed since protests began, according...

Iran released a prominent actress from an Oscar-winning film on Wednesday, nearly three weeks after she was jailed for criticizing a crackdown on anti-government protests, local reports said.

Iran’s semi-official Isna news agency said Taraneh Alidoosti, the 38-year-old star of Asghar Farhadi’s Oscar-winning 2016 film, “The Salesman,” was released on bail. Her mother, Nadere Hakimelahi, had earlier said she would be released in a post on Instagram.

After her release from the notorious Evin Prison in Tehran on Wednesday, Alidoosti posed with bunches of flowers, surrounded by friends. No further details have been released about her case.

Alidoosti was among several Iranian celebrities to express support for the nationwide protests and criticize the authorities’ violent clampdown on dissent. She had posted at least three messages in support of the protests on Instagram before her account was disabled.

One message had expressed solidarity with the first man to be executed...

Taraneh Alidoosti, the star of the Oscar-winning film “The Salesman,” has been released on bail from Evin Prison.

The news was revealed in a Wednesday morning Instagram story by Alidoosti’s mother Nadereh Hakim Elahi. Alidoosti’s attorney, Zahra Minooei also confirmed the news in a tweet, writing: “Today, my client Ms. Taraneh Alidoosti will be released from Evin Prison after posting bail.”

Alidoosti was arrested in December for “spreading falsehoods” about the widespread protests in the nation. The Islamic Republic News Agency reported that the 38-year-old was detained after expressing solidarity with Mohsen Shekari, a protestor who was executed on Dec. 9 after being accused of being a “rioter” who wounded a member of a paramilitary force with a machete.

“His name was Mohsen Shekari,” Alidoosti wrote in an Instagram post prior to her arrest. “Every international organization who is watching this bloodshed and not taking action, is a disgrace to humanity.

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Oscar-winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi says he “stands with” his The Salesman and About Elly star Taraneh Alidoosti after the actress was arrested over the weekend.

Iranian state media reported that Alidoosti was detained after she posted a comment on Instagram expressing solidarity with Mohsen Shekari, the first person to have been officially executed by the Tehran regime for crimes allegedly committed during the anti-government protests that have shaken Iran for months.

In a post on his official Instagram account, Farhadi called out Alidoosti’s arrest, saying if “showing support [for protestors] is a crime, tens of millions of people of this land are criminals.” He called on the authorities to release her, along with Iranian directors Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof, “and all the other lesser-known prisoners whose only crime is the attempt for a better life.”

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Iranian actress Taraneh Alidoosti has been detained on charges of “spreading falsehoods” regarding the country’s ongoing protest movement. The BBC reported that Alidoosti condemned the country’s recent execution of Mohsen Shekari for his involvement in protests. The actor made her statements through a now-deleted post on Instagram, reports Variety.

“His name was Mohsen Shekari. Every international organisation who is watching this bloodshed and not taking action is a disgrace to humanity,” Alidoosti wrote.

The actor was arrested after being unable to produce “any documents in line with her claims,” according to state media. Alidoosti’s Instagram account, which possessed about eight million followers, has since been taken down.

Variety reports that Shekari was hanged earlier this month after being accused of blocking a main road in Tehran and wounding a military officer with a machete. Shekari was found guilty by a Revolutionary Court of fighting and drawing a...

Taraneh Alidoosti, one of Iran’s most renowned actors, was detained on charges of “spreading falsehoods” regarding the country’s ongoing protest movement, according to state media.

The BBC reported that Alidoosti condemned the country’s recent execution of Mohsen Shekarim for his involvement with protests. The actor made her statements through a now-deleted post on Instagram.

“His name was Mohsen Shekari. Every international organisation who is watching this bloodshed and not taking action is a disgrace to humanity,” Alidoosti wrote. The actor was arrested after being unable to produce “any documents in line with her claims,” according to state media. Alidoosti’s Instagram account, which possessed about eight million followers, has since been taken down.

Shekari was hanged earlier this month after being accused of blocking a main road in Tehran and wounding a military officer with a machete. Shekari was found guilty by a Revolutionary Court of fighting...

SAG-AFTRA has condemned the arrest of two Iranian actors and other demonstrators during recent protests that have swept the Islamic Republic.

“Recently, two prominent Iranian actors, Hengameh Ghaziani and Katayoun Riahi, were arrested for publicly removing their headscarves in a show of solidarity with protesters,” the guild said in a statement on Friday. “They were just two of the countless people who have been arrested, harassed and killed by the Iranian government since unrest broke out after the death of Mahsa Amini, who is believed to have been beaten to death by Iran’s so-called morality police.

“Two months earlier, the Iranian government sentenced two women to death for supporting LGBTQ rights.

“SAG-AFTRA stands in support of the two actors, the activists, all supporters of human rights and the Iranian people, who deserve the right to live without the fear of death and imprisonment from brutality and persecution. We fervently...

Iranian actresses Hengameh Ghaziani and Katayoun Riahi have been arrested after removing their headscarves in public, according to state media.

Before her arrest, Ghaziani posted a powerful message to Instagram, writing, “Maybe this will be my last post. From this moment on, whatever happens to me, know that as always, I am with the Iranian people until my last breath.”

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A post shared by Hengameh Ghaziani (@hengamehghaziani)

The well-known star has won many acting accolades.

Read More: Britney Spears Gets Trolled By Iranian State Media Over Support For Protesters

Riahi, who starred in “Prophet Joseph” and “The Last Supper”, was later arrested in the same probe.

Both of the women were expressing solidarity with protestors who have taken to the streets of Iran since the death of Mahsa Amini in September.

Read More: Meghan Markle Supports Women In Iran With A Statement T-Shirt And Passionate...

Iranian officials have arrested two of its prominent actors, Hengameh Ghaziani and Katayoun Riahi, for removing their headscarves and publicly supporting anti-government protests.

Ghaziani and Riahi are well-known Iranian actors with a large fan following.

Iran has experienced widespread protests in recent months over the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old who was arrested by the so-called “morality police” after being accused of wearing her hijab inappropriately.

The BBC reports that Ghaziani and Riahi were detained when they appeared in the public without their headscarves on 20 November.

Before her arrest, Ghaziani wrote on social media that “whatever happens, know that as always I will stand with the people of Iran”.

She added: “This may be my last post.”

At least 410 protestors have been killed in the unending demonstrations in Iran as of 19 November in the Khamenei administration-led crackdown on protests, said Human Rights Activists News Agency (Hrana), a...

Iran’s national soccer team did not to sing the country’s national anthem before their World Cup opener at Doha’s Khalifa International Stadium against England on Monday in what is widely considered to be an act of protest against the death of Mahsa Amini.

Protests have been mounting in Iran since the Sept. 16 death of 22-year-old Amini while in custody of Iran’s morality police after she was arrested for not wearing the state-mandated hijab, or headscarf, for women.

And it seems clear those protests are now also reverberating on the soccer pitch in Doha.

On Sunday, questioned by journalists, Iran’s team captain Ehsan Hajisafi had been clear about the fact that the team sided with the uprising prompted by Amini’s death, which organization Human Rights Activists says has caused more than 400 protesters to be killed since the protests began and more than 16,000 people arrested.

“We...

Popular Iranian actors Hengameh Ghaziani and Katayoun Riahi have been arrested and imprisoned in Iran after they appeared in public and on social media having removed their headscarves in a bold act of defiance and protest against the death of Mahsa Amini.

Iran’s state-run Irna news agency said that Ghaziani and Riahi are now both behind bars after being summoned by the country’s prosecutors in a probe due to “provocative” social media posts.

Ghaziani, a film and theater actor who has won many acting accolades in Iran, on Saturday published a powerful video of herself on Instagram removing her hijab and walking proudly in a Tehran street.

“Maybe this will be my last post,” she wrote. “From this moment on, whatever happens to me, know that as always, I am with the Iranian people until my last breath.”

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A post shared by Hengameh Ghaziani (@hengamehghaziani)

Riahi,...

Update (5 a.m. Pst): Iran’s players have poignantly refused to sing their national anthem as the nation’s World Cup opener against England kicks off.

Some in the crowd appeared to be jeering during the anthem, which came to the backdrop of protests over the death of Iranian Mahsa Amini in custody in September and on the day that two prominent Iranian actresses were arrested. The majority of the backroom staff also appeared to be refusing to sing.

Iran’s national football team refused to sing Iranian national anthem at the #FIFAWorldCup in solidarity with ongoing protest against the regime in Iran. pic.twitter.com/K8A0z6lj9a

— Ashok Swain (@ashoswai) November 21, 2022

Protest by Iranian fans – booing their own national anthem ahead of match against England. #Qatar2022 #iran pic.twitter.com/3YN5V2y7BO

— Jonathan Swain (@SwainITV) November 21, 2022

Iran fans with a message before their World Cup opener: pic.

Protests have been ongoing since 22-year-old Mahsa Amini’s death in police custody in September.

Iranian actors Hengameh Ghaziani and Katayoun Riahi have been arrested after expressing solidarity with the protest movement and removing their headscarves in public, as reported by state media on Sunday (November 20).

Ghaziani and Riahi were detained after prosecutors probed their social media posts, according to state-run Irna news agency.

Ghaziani, star of 2008’s As Simple As That and and 2012’s Days Of Life, has been a vocal critic on the crackdown on protestors, and was arrested for inciting and supporting the “riots” and for communication with opposition media,...

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Iranian authorities have arrested two well-known local actresses after they showed support for the country’s protest movement and appeared in public without their hijabs, or headscarves.

Hengameh Ghaziani, who has appeared in features such as Parviz Sheikh Tadi’s Days of Life (2012) and Reza Mirkarimi’s As Simple as That (2008), and Katayoun Riahi, a best actress winner at the 2002 Cairo Film Festival for Fereydoun Jeyrani’s The Last Supper, were detained after putting up “provocative” social media posts, Iran’s state-run Irna news agency reported.

The latest arrests come amid nationwide protests in Iran sparked by the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested by the country’s morality police for allegedly failing to correctly wear her hijab. Authorities have violently suppressed the protests, which they claim have been stirred up by western governments hostile to Tehran.

Ghaziani...

Iran has arrested two prominent actresses who removed their headscarves in public to show support for the ongoing protest movement calling for freedom for women, sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in custody last September.

According to multiple reports citing state media, Hengameh Ghaziani and Katayoun Riahi were detained after being summoned by prosecutors and are accused of collusion and acting against Iran’s authorities.

Ghaziani, an award-winner for 2008’s As Simple as That and 2012’s Days of Life, has been a vocal critic of the crackdown on protesters. She wrote in an Instagram message this weekend, “Maybe this will be my last post. From this moment on, whatever happens to me, know that as always, I am with Iranian people until my last breath.”

The accompanying video shows Ghaziani turning her back on camera and wrapping her uncovered hair into a ponytail, a gesture which has come...

Editor’s note: The death of Mahsa Amini earlier this month after being detained by Iran’s morality police for allegedly not wearing her hijab according to official dictates has sparked outrage and protests within the Islamic Republic and around the world, with Global Day of Action for Iran set for Saturday with rallies around the globe (more information below). Currently seen as one of the stars of Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Iran-born actress and Amnesty International UK ambassador Nazanin Boniadi reflects on Amini’s tragic death and the potentially pivotal time for her homeland.

Two months ago, in San Diego Comic-Con’s Hall H, I dedicated my The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power character Bronwyn to the brave women of my homeland Iran, who have been at the forefront of the fight for freedom for more than four decades.