01 December 2025 :

December 1, 2025 - Iran. Jafar Panahi sentenced to one year in prison and additional penalties

Renowned Iranian film director Jafar Panahi has been sentenced to one year in prison, a two-year travel ban and additional penalties.

Mostafa Nili, Mr. Panahi's defence lawyer, wrote in a post on this subject: Section 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced Mr. Panahi in absentia to one year in prison, a two-year travel ban and a ban on membership of political and social groups, on charges of propaganda against the regime.

The lawyer commented on the incident in a neutral manner: ‘We will take the necessary steps to appeal this ruling within the time limits set by law.’

Panahi has already been arrested and prosecuted for his activities. In 2022, he was released on bail after serving six months of a six-year sentence on charges of “propaganda against the state” in his films.

Panahi, 65, has won some of the most prestigious awards in international cinema, including the Caméra d'Or at Cannes (1995), the Pardo d'Oro at Locarno (1997), the Golden Lion at Venice (2000) and the Palme d'Or at Cannes (2025). For more on the legal troubles of Panahi (and some of his fellow artists) in recent years, see Hands off Cain 29/02/2020, 12/07/2022, 19/07/2022, 02/02/2023, 03/02/2023, 26/05/2025.

https://www.en-hrana.org/jafar-panahi-sentenced-to-imprisonment-and-other-penalties/