Iran Authorities Arrest Actress of Oscar-Winning Movie – Iranian officials arrested one of the country’s most popular actresses on suspicion of providing false information about the country’s widespread protests, state media reported Saturday. According to IRNA, Taraneh Alidoosti, the Oscar-winning actress from “The Salesman,” was detained a week after she posted on Instagram expressing solidarity with the first man recently hanged for offenses allegedly committed during the nationwide protests.
IRNA also said several other Iranian celebrities had “been summoned by the judiciary body over publishing provocative content.” It did not say how many or provide further details. According to the report published on the state media’s official Telegram channel, Alidoosti was arrested because she did not provide “any documents in line with her claims.” In her post, the 38-year-old actress said: ”His name was Mohsen Shekari. Every international organization who is watching this bloodshed and not taking action, is a disgrace to humanity.”
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Shekari was executed on December 9 after an Iranian court charged him with obstructing a street in Tehran and assaulting a member of the country’s security services with a machete. In connection with the protests, Iran killed a second prisoner, Majidreza Rahnavard, last week. Rahnavard’s body was hung from a construction crane as a chilling message to others. According to Iranian authorities, Rahnavard stabbed two members of its paramilitary force.
Both men were executed less than a month after being charged, demonstrating the speed with which Iran is currently carrying out death penalties imposed for purported offenses related to the protests. According to activists, at least a dozen people have been sentenced to death in closed-door proceedings. Since the protests began in September, Alidoosti has published at least three postings on her Instagram account showing support with demonstrators. Her account, which had over 8 million followers, was suspended.
Protests have erupted in Iran since the murder on September 16 of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died after being held by morality police. Since then, the protests have evolved into one of the most severe challenges to Iran’s theocracy, which was established by the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Alidoosti has previously chastised Iran’s government and police force. She was sentenced to five months in prison suspended in June 2020 after criticizing police on Twitter in 2018 for beating a woman who had removed her headscarf.
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Other films in which Alidoosti has appeared include “The Beautiful City” and “About Elly.” Authorities arrested Hengameh Ghaziani and Katayoun Riahi, two more well-known Iranian actors, for expressing support with demonstrators on social media. Both have been released. According to Human Rights Activists in Iran, a group that has been following the protests since they began, at least 495 people have been killed in the demonstrations amid a severe security crackdown. Authorities have detained more than 18,200 people.
