Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Stock

Iran sentences renowned director to 8 years in prison and flogging, lawyer says

A court in Iran has sentenced acclaimed movie director Mohammad Rasoulof to eight years in prison and flogging for national security crimes, his lawyer said on Wednesday.

In a statement on social platform X, Babak Paknia said the court found Rasoulof’s films and documentaries to be “examples of collusion with the intention of committing a crime against the security of the country.”

The court also imposed an unspecified fine and ordered the confiscation of Rasoulof’s property, Paknia added.

Rasoulof won a Golden Bear for best film at the Berlinale festival in 2020 for “There Is No Evil” and his film “A Man of Integrity” was recognized for a “Certain Regard” honor at Cannes in 2017. The writer-director’s latest work, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” is due to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in France next week.

Ahead of the film’s release, the director and his production team faced pressure from the Iranian government, his lawyer has alleged, writing last week on X that some actors had been interrogated and barred from leaving the country by officials. According to Paknia, some also alleged they were asked by officials to tell Rasoulof to withdraw the film from the festival.

Paknia also wrote last week on X that it was unclear whether Rasoulof would be able to travel to Cannes to attend the screening of his film.

In 2022, an Iranian court sentenced Rasoulof to one year in prison and banned him from making films for two years on the charge of “propaganda against the system,” according to Human Rights Watch. Iranian authorities have previously arrested him multiple times and confiscated his passport because of his work, HRW said.

In a statement, Iran’s Independent Filmmaker Association criticized the latest sentence handed to the director.

“Once again, the judiciary’s verdict against Mohammad Rasoulof proved that the law is only a playground for stubbornness and revenge in the legal system contaminated by government jurisprudence,” it said.

“Independent and freedom-loving cinematographers condemn the invalid judgment of the judiciary against Mohammad Rasoulof and stand by him and all the artists who make fun of government censorship.”

This post appeared first on cnn.com
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get the daily email that makes reading the news actually enjoyable. Stay informed and entertained, for free.
Your information is secure and your privacy is protected. By opting in you agree to receive emails from us. Remember that you can opt-out any time, we hate spam too!

You May Also Like

Stock

Boeing’s spaceflight program may reach a significant milestone Monday night with the launch of its Starliner spacecraft, carrying — at long last — two...

Investing

Arcade chain Dave and Buster’s plan to allow customer betting isn’t winning over everyone. Software company Lucra Sports announced on Tuesday that it was working with...

Top News

It appears increasingly possible that Donald Trump could face actual jail time before we ever get a verdict in any of his four criminal...

Stock

A 17-year-old boy handed himself in to police after admitting that he attacked a German politician on Friday. Police say that Matthias Ecke, the...

Disclaimer: InvestorsOnRetire.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively "The Company") do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

Copyright © 2024 InvestorsOnRetire. All Rights Reserved.