December 17, 2022, 7:20 PM
December 17, 2022, 7:20 PM
Famous Iranian actress and women’s rights activist Taraneh Alidoosti has been arrested in Iran in connection with the protest movement which entered its fourth month, judicial sources said on Saturday.
Alidoosti, 38, was arrested “by order of the judicial authority” after “failing to provide documentation for some of his claims” about the protests, reported Mizan Online, the information agency of the judiciary.
The judicial website added that “some figures and several celebrities”, including Alidoosti, have been questioned or arrested after making “unsubstantiated comments about recent events and the publication of provocative material in support of street riots”.
Known for having acted in multiple films by filmmaker Asghar Farhadi, Taraneh Alidoosti had expressed her support, on Instagram, for the demonstrations triggered by the death of Mahsa Aminia 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman, on September 16, after her arrest in Tehran by the morality police.
She accused him of violating the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code, which requires women to wear a veil in public.
“Taraneh Alidoosti was arrested for her recent actions by posting false information and content, and for inciting chaos“, the local news agency Tasnim announced shortly before, without specifying the place of arrest.
On December 8, the actress had denounced the execution of Mohsen Shekari, hanged after being accused of “war against God”.
“Any international organization that looks at this bloodbath without reacting represents a shame for humanity,” he had written on his Instagram profile.
In November, he vowed to stay in his country, “pay the price” necessary to defend his rights, and stop working to support the families of those killed or detained during the protests.
Alidoosti is especially known for her work on Asghar Farhadi’s film “The Client”, which won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2017.
A figure of Iranian cinema since his teens, he also acted in Saeed Roustayi’s film “Leila and her brothers”, presented this year at the Cannes Film Festival.
Since mid-September, thousands of Iranians and about 40 foreigners have been arrested and more than 2,000 people have been charged in connection with the demonstrations, according to judicial authorities.
Two men have been executed in connection with the protests.
