Mahmudian stayed detained a month and a half before the awards ceremony American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Two other signatories of the document were also arrested: Wida Rabbani and Abdullah Momeni.
Who was arrested in Iran?
What declaration did Mehdi Mahmudian sign?
How many people were arrested along with Mahmudian?
What nominations did Jafar Panahi's film receive?
Oscar nominee Mehdi Mahmudian arrested
The declaration was signed by a total of 17 people, including Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasulof – director of the Oscar-nominated film “The Seed of the Holy Fig Tree” from 2024, Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi and Nasrin Sotoudeh, winner of the Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought.
As noted by the Ansa agency, There is currently no confirmed information about the arresting authority or charges charged against those detained.
Jafar Panahi was quoted as saying about Mahmudian: “48 hours before his arrest, we talked on the phone and then exchanged several messages.”
Panahi, a prominent and award-winning Iranian director, has been imprisoned several times. He spent seven months in prison with Mahmudian — recalled.
The director added: “I sent him my last text at 4am. At noon the next day I still had no answer. I became concerned and reached out to mutual friends; none of them had heard of him. A few hours later, the BBC officially announced that Mehdi Mahmudian, Abdullah Momeni and Wida Rabbani had been arrested.
Panahi noted that his film collaborator is not only a human rights activist and a prisoner of conscience; “is a witness, a listener and a rare example of morality” — he added.
Panahi's film “It Was Just a Chance” received two Oscar nominations: as best international film and best original screenplay.
