An Iranian court has issued a new prison sentence of five years and one month against filmmaker Jafar Panahi, according to his lawyer Mostafa Nili. The 66-year-old director was sentenced in absentia and also faces a two-year travel ban, social media restrictions, and the confiscation of his assets. The specific charges against Panahi remain undisclosed.
Panahi, who received the Palme d’Or at Cannes last year for his film It Was Just an Accident, returned to Iran in March to promote the work after traveling abroad. He had previously been sentenced in absentia to one year in prison for alleged propaganda activities. Nili indicated that Panahi currently has three open legal cases and was not informed of the hearing date for this latest proceeding. The filmmaker learned of the sentencing only after discovering his bank accounts had been frozen.
Human rights lawyer Moein Khazaeli suggested the sentencing and asset seizure could contravene Iran’s constitution without a clear legal basis connecting the property to alleged offenses. An activist friend confirmed to the Associated Press that Panahi had not been detained following the court decision.
The sentence has drawn international condemnation from cultural figures and human rights organizations. Actor Nazanin Boniadi characterized the ruling as a silencing attempt against a courageous artist, while exiled actor Setareh Maleki emphasized the regime’s fear of independent storytelling. An unnamed filmmaker working secretly in Iran expressed support for Panahi, suggesting the latest sentence relates to his appeals for unity during protests and his support for diverse viewpoints.
The Center for Human Rights in Iran has documented an intensifying crackdown on artists, writers, musicians, and cultural figures, with authorities reportedly subjecting peaceful voices to the same judicial mechanisms used to suppress broader dissent across the country.
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