Jafar Panahi, the acclaimed Iranian director imprisoned for more than two months by his government, has been released on bail today. The director had been on hunger strike for over a week in protest at his arrest and subsequent incarceration.
A vocal critic of the Iranian regime, Panahi’s films portray everyday life in Iran, paying special attention to its women and their struggles in the conservative Islamic state. He is a previous recipient of the Camera d’Or at Cannes (for The White Balloon) and was invited to sit on the jury at this year’s festival. Instead, he was a symbolic guest of honour, and his detainment was criticised by award-winning actress Juliette Binoche in her acceptance speech at the festival’s closing ceremony.
According to the Iranian Culture Minister Mohammad Hosseini, Panahi was arrested for directing an “anti-regime” film about the disputed election result last year that saw President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reinstated under a cloud of controversy. He is one of thousands to have been detained as a result of the protests that followed, and although most have since been freed, a number were sentenced to lengthy prison spells, whilst two of those put on trial were executed.
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