Iranian authorities arrested one of the country’s most famous actresses on Saturday on suspicion of spreading false propaganda about nationwide protests, state media said. Taraneh Alidousti, star of the Oscar-winning film “The Salesman,” was detained a week after posting on Instagram in solidarity with the first man recently executed for crimes committed during the protests, IRNA reported.
The announcement is the latest in a series of celebrity arrests that have included footballers, actors, and influencers in response to their public support for anti-government demonstrations, now in their third month. According to a report published on state media’s official Telegram channel, Alidoshi was “arrested because she did not provide any documents to support her claims,” while several other Iranian figures were also “summoned by the judiciary over the publication”.
provocative content,” and some were arrested. It did not provide further details. In her post, the 38-year-old actress said “His name is Mohsen Shekari. Shame on every international organization that has not acted on this bloodshed. To humanity. In November, authorities arrested two other well-known Iranian actresses, Hengameh Ghaziani and Katayon Riyahi, for expressing solidarity with the protesters on social media.
Iranian soccer player Voria Ghafouri was also arrested last month for insulting the national soccer team and campaigning against the government. Three were released. Since September, Alidosti has publicly expressed solidarity with the protesters in at least three posts on Instagram. Her account, which has nearly 8 million followers, has been suspended. Last week, Iran executed Majidreza Rahnavard, the second prisoner in connection with the protests.
Rahnavard’s body was hung from a construction crane as a grim warning to others. Iranian authorities have accused Rahnavard of stabbing two members of his paramilitary force. Both Shekari and Rahnavard were executed less than a month after being indicted, underscoring the speed with which Iran now carries out executions for alleged crimes related to the demonstrations.
Activists say at least a dozen people have been sentenced to death in closed trials. Iran is one of the countries in the world where capital punishment is practiced. Iran has been rocked by protests since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on September 16 after being detained by the morality police. The protests have become one of the most serious challenges to Iran’s theocracy established by the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Acidosis had previously criticized Iran’s government and its police force before this year’s protests. In June 2020, she was given a suspended five-month prison sentence in 2018 after criticizing police on Twitter for assaulting a woman who had removed her headscarf. At least 495 people have died in the demonstrations amid a tough security crackdown, according to Human Rights Activists in Iran, a group that has been monitoring the protests since they began.
18,200 people were detained by the authorities. Other famous films Alidosti starred in include “The Beautiful City” and “About Ellie”.
