Jafar Panahi faces prison term after Iranian court upholds verdict

Acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi has been sentenced to one year in prison and banned from travelling abroad for two years after a court in Tehran upheld a verdict finding him guilty of “propaganda against the regime”.

According to reports, Panahi’s lawyer, Mostafa Nili, confirmed that the Tehran Revolutionary Court rejected objections to the ruling and upheld the sentence in full. The filmmaker has 20 days to appeal the decision.

The charges are linked to several activities, including making a film critical of the Iranian establishment, expressing support for political prisoners, backing anti-government protests, supporting the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, and sharing protest-related content on social media.

The original verdict was issued in absentia while Panahi was abroad promoting his film “It Was Just an Accident”.

In addition to the prison sentence and travel ban, the filmmaker has reportedly been prohibited from participating in political and social organisations.

“It Was Just an Accident” was Panahi’s first feature film following his release from Tehran’s Evin Prison in 2022, where he spent 86 days in detention before securing his release through a hunger strike and legal challenge.

The film follows a former political prisoner who kidnaps a man he believes tortured him, prompting a moral debate among fellow dissidents over justice, revenge, and forgiveness.

The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Palme d’Or, and later received an Academy Award nomination for Best International Feature. Panahi and his co-writers were also nominated for Best Original Screenplay.

Widely regarded as one of the leading figures in contemporary Iranian cinema, Panahi has continued to make internationally acclaimed films despite years of restrictions imposed by Iranian authorities.