Iran detains prominent activist, two filmmakers on security charges
DUBAI (Reuters) – Iranian authorities have arrested a distinguished reformist activist and two filmmakers on prices of appearing in opposition to nationwide safety, native media mentioned on Friday.
Mostafa Tajzadeh, a former reformist deputy inside minister turned activist, was detained on prices of “appearing in opposition to nationwide safety and spreading lies to disturb public opinion”, the semi-official information company Mehr reported.
The hardline authorities of President Ebrahim Raisi has been dealing with public discontent, with hovering meals costs sparking protests in latest months. Oblique U.S.-Iran talks to resurrect a 2015 nuclear accord and raise sanctions have stalled.
Tajzadeh, an outspoken authorities critic, has mentioned Supreme Chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei must be held accountable if efforts to revive the nuclear deal fail.
“Beneath the present deplorable financial circumstances and public dissatisfaction, the failure to revive the nuclear deal has harmful penalties, and its accountability primarily lies with the Chief,” Tajzadeh wrote in a tweet final week.
It was unclear if Tajzadeh’s arrest was linked to the tweet. Khamenei has the ultimate say on all issues of state and is never criticised. Feedback deemed insulting to him could carry a jail sentence beneath Iranian legislation.
Individually, dissident director Mohammad Rasoulof and a colleague, Mostafa Aleahmad, have been detained on Friday, state information company IRNA reported, accusing them of getting ties to anti-government teams and committing safety offences.
The 2 have been amongst a bunch of actors and filmmakers who had signed an enchantment that referred to as on safety forces to “lay down your weapons and return to the nation’s embrace” throughout road protests that adopted a lethal constructing collapse in Might which officers blamed on corruption and lax security.
Tajzadeh and Rasoulof have each confronted prices prior to now.
Tajzadeh was jailed between 2009 and 2016, largely over his involvement in unrest that adopted a disputed election in 2009. Rasoulof faces no less than two pending jail phrases over offences starting from filming and not using a allow to “collusion in opposition to nationwide safety”.
Rasoulof gained the Berlin Movie Competition’s Golden Bear award in 2020 for “There Is No Evil,” about capital punishment and filmed in secret defiance of Iranian authorities censorship.
Reuters was unable to contact the legal professionals of the detained males for remark.
(Reporting by Dubai newsroom, Modifying by Rosalba O’Brien)
