Iranian Director Jafar Panahi Sentenced to 5 Years and 1 Month in Another Case by Tehran Court

A revolutionary court in Tehran has sentenced Iranian film director Jafar Panahi, a Palme d'Or winner at the Cannes Film Festival, to 5 years and 1 month in prison in another case.

The US-based outlet Variety reported the information, citing Iran's reformist online news agency Emtedad News Agency.

Panahi's lawyer, Mostafa Nili, told Emtedad News Agency that the sentence was handed down in his client's absence. Late last year, a court in the country had sentenced him to one year in another case. The lawyer said which of the two verdicts will be enforced depends on the court.

In the same verdict, Panahi's assets were ordered to be confiscated. A two-year ban on using social media and a two-year travel ban were also imposed on him. However, exactly what charge was brought against him in this case is not yet clear.

Last week, Jafar Panahi's bank accounts were suddenly frozen. Lawyer Mostafa Nili then went with his client to the Tehran prosecutor's office. It was there that he learned about the verdict given in Panahi's absence.

Mostafa Nili said the case file had stated that Jafar Panahi was living outside Iran. Yet he had returned to Iran on 30 March this year.

Shortly before that, the 98th Academy Awards ceremony had been held. At that event, his latest film 'It Was Just an Accident' had reached the final nomination stage as France's nominated film in the Best International Feature Film category.

Panahi's conflict with the Iranian authorities is nothing new. In 2010, for supporting anti-government protests and making critical films, he was barred from filmmaking and from travelling outside the country. He was later arrested. Given a six-year prison sentence, he was released on bail after serving only two months.

Despite the country's ban, Panahi made acclaimed films such as 'This Is Not a Film' and 'Taxi'. He was arrested again in 2022. This time he was released after serving 7 months in prison.

In April 2023, Iran lifted the ban on Jafar Panahi. The Iranian authorities then allowed him to go to the Cannes Film Festival for the premiere screening of 'It Was Just an Accident'. He later travelled to various countries around the world to promote the film.