CAIRO (AP) — Iranian authorities arrested one of the country’s most high-profile actresses on Saturday for spreading lies about the nationwide protests that have rocked the country, state media said.
IRNA report says Taraneh Alidoosti, star of Oscar-winning film ‘The Salesman’, was arrested a week after posting a message on Instagram expressing solidarity with the first man recently executed for crimes allegedly committed during the protests .
The announcement is the latest in a string of celebrity arrests, which have included footballers, actors and influencers, in response to their open show of support for anti-government protests now in their third month.
According to the report published on the official state media Telegram channel, Alidoosti was arrested because she did not provide “any document consistent with her claims”.
He said several other Iranian celebrities had also “been summoned by the judicial body for posting provocative content”, and some had been arrested. He provided no further details.
In her post, the 38-year-old actress said, “His name was Mohsen Shekari. Every international organization that observes this bloodbath and does not act is a disgrace to humanity.
Shekari was executed in December. 9 after being accused by an Iranian court of blocking a street in Tehran and attacking a member of the country’s security forces with a machete.
In November, Hengameh Ghaziani and Katayoun Riahi, two other famous Iranian actresses, were arrested by authorities for expressing solidarity with protesters on social media. Voria Ghafouri, an Iranian soccer player, was also arrested last month for “insulting the national soccer team and propaganda against the government”. All three were released.
Since September, Alidoosti has openly expressed his solidarity with protesters in at least three Instagram posts. His account, which had some 8 million followers, was suspended.
Last week, Iran executed a second prisoner, Majidreza Rahnavard, in connection with the protests. Rahnavard’s body was left hanging from a construction crane as a horrific warning to others. Iranian authorities claimed that Rahnavard stabbed two members of his paramilitary force.
Shekari and Rahnavard were both executed less than a month after being charged, underscoring how quickly Iran is now carrying out death sentences handed down for alleged protest-related crimes. Activists say at least a dozen people have been sentenced to death behind closed doors. Iran is one of the best executioners in the world.
Iran has been rocked by protests since September 1. 16 deaths of Mahsa Amini, 22, who died after being detained by the vice squad. The protests have since turned into one of the most serious challenges to the Iranian theocracy established by the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Alidoosti had already criticized the Iranian government and its police forces ahead of this year’s protests.
In June 2020, she received a five-month suspended prison sentence after criticizing police on Twitter in 2018 for assaulting a woman who had her headscarf removed.
At least 495 people have been killed in the protests amid a harsh security crackdown, according to human rights activists in Iran. This group has been monitoring the protests since they began. Authorities arrested more than 18,200 people.
Other well-known films by Alidoosti include “The Beautiful City” and “About Elly”.
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