Iran: Oscar-Nominated Writer Mehdi Mahmoudian Arrested After Criticising Khamenei

Renowned Iranian filmmaker Mehdi Mahmoudian and two other activists have been arrested, accused of writing a statement for detained opposition figure Mir Hossein Mousavi. Mahmoudian co-wrote the Oscar-nominated film "It was Just an Accident."

Renowned Iranian filmmaker Mehdi Mahmoudian is among three alleged activists arrested on suspicion of penning a statement for a detained opposition figure, according to Iran's Fars news agency.

Mahmoudian was a co-writer on "It was Just an Accident", which was nominated as best international picture at this year's Oscars and won the prestigious Palme d'Or at the 2025 Cannes festival.

According to Fars, he has been accused of helping prepare a statement by Iranian opposition figure and former prime minister Mir Hossein Mousavi, who is being held under house arrest.

He was arrested alongside student leader Abdollah Momeni and journalist and women's rights activist Vida Rabbani, according to the Fars report.

The director of "It Was Just an Accident", award-winning filmmaker Jafar Panahi, condemned the arrest of his friend, co-writer and former cellmate in a social media post.

"Mehdi Mahmoudian is not merely a human rights activist with nearly nine years in jail," Panahi wrote.

"He is a witness, a listener, and a rare moral presence -- a presence whose absence is immediately felt, both within prison walls and beyond," he said.

The German government also criticised the arrests.

"The arrest of Mehdi Mahmoudian is not an isolated case, but part of a system that seeks to silence critical voices," Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer said in a statement.

"Those who imprison authors are not fighting art, but freedom. Mahmoudian must be released, because art is not a crime," he said.

The arrests came as the Islamic republic attempted to reestablish its authority after brutally suppressing a wave of economic and political protests that erupted in December and peaked on January 8 and 9.

Tehran has acknowledged thousands of deaths during the protests, and on Sunday the presidency published the names of 2,986 people out of the 3,117 whom authorities said were killed in the unrest.

Authorities insist most were members of the security forces and innocent bystanders, attributing the violence to "terrorist acts".

US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said it has confirmed 6,842 deaths, mostly protesters killed by security forces, with rights groups warning the figure is likely far higher.

Former Prime Minister Mousavi has been under house arrest since 2011 but managed to release a statement blaming the government for the violence and declaring "Enough is enough".

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed)