An Iranian court issued a new prison sentence against acclaimed filmmaker Jafar Panahi, ordering him to serve five years and one month while also directing the confiscation of his assets. The 66-year-old director, who won the Palme d’Or at Cannes last year for his film It Was Just an Accident, was sentenced in absentia according to his lawyer Mostafa Nili. The court additionally imposed a two-year travel restriction and barred Panahi from using social media during the same period.
The specific charges underlying the new sentencing remain unclear. Panahi had returned to Iran in March after an overseas trip to promote his award-winning film, despite having previously received a one-year prison sentence in absentia for allegations of “propaganda activities against the system.” According to his legal representation, Panahi currently faces three ongoing legal cases and was not notified of the hearing date for this latest proceeding. Nili revealed that Panahi only became aware of the sentencing after his bank accounts were frozen the previous week. A European-based acquaintance of the filmmaker reported speaking with Panahi following the sentencing announcement, noting he had not been detained.
Human rights lawyer Moein Khazaeli raised constitutional concerns about the asset seizure, stating that such confiscation may violate Iran’s constitutional protections unless authorities establish a clear legal connection between the property and the alleged offense. The sentencing has prompted expressions of concern among international artists regarding the risks faced by those working independently within Iran.
Multiple figures from the entertainment industry publicly responded to the court decision. Actor Setareh Maleki, who was forced into exile following her appearance in an Oscar-nominated film, characterized the sentence as evidence of authoritarian fear regarding independent storytelling. An unnamed filmmaker operating within Iran expressed support for Panahi, suggesting the sentence may relate to his statements during January protests and his advocacy for diverse voices. Actor Nazanin Boniadi similarly condemned the ruling, describing Panahi’s work as a form of artistic resistance documenting repression in Iran.
The sentencing aligns with a broader pattern documented by the US-based Center for Human Rights in Iran, which reported in a recent assessment that Iranian authorities are intensifying enforcement actions against cultural professionals including artists, writers, poets, and musicians through expanded application of security and judicial mechanisms typically used to address political dissent.
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