An Iranian screenwriter whose film is up for two Oscars is now behind bars in Tehran. Mehdi Mahmoudian, co-writer of Jafar Panahi's It Was Just an Accident, was arrested after signing a statement blaming Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei for a deadly crackdown on protesters, according to Neon, the film's US distributor. Mahmoudian was detained alongside fellow signatories Vida Rabbani and Abdullah Momeni, Neon said, per the Hollywood Reporter. Iranian authorities have not publicly confirmed the arrests or announced any charges.
In all, 17 prominent activists and cultural figures signed the letter, including Panahi—currently abroad promoting the film—exiled director Mohammad Rasoulof, jailed Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, and human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh. The statement accuses Khamenei and the ruling system of authorizing "mass and systematic" killings during recent protests, calling the security response an "organized state crime against humanity." While the government has acknowledged more than 3,000 deaths, human rights groups estimate the toll in the tens of thousands, per the Guardian. The signatories call for prosecuting those responsible, freeing political prisoners, and organizing a national referendum on Iran's political future.
It Was Just an Accident, a film about former political prisoners weighing revenge against the man they believe tortured them, is Panahi's first feature since his own release from prison on charges of anti-regime "propaganda." It won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival last year and is nominated for best original screenplay and best international feature at the Oscars. Panahi, sentenced in absentia in December to a year in prison and a two-year work ban, has said he plans to return to Iran after awards season to appeal and face trial. In a statement after Mahmoudian's arrest, Panahi said his collaborator was "a witness, a listener and a rare moral presence" who'd already spent nine years behind bars.
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