The internationally renowned actress Taraneh Alidoosti has been arrested against the background of the protests in Iran. The 38-year-old was taken into custody today for spreading “false and distorted” information and “inciting chaos,” Tasnim news agency reported.
Alidoosti had repeatedly expressed solidarity with the protest movement in the online networks that had been triggered by the death of the young Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in September in custody of the vice squad.
The actress had also recently denounced the execution of the young demonstrator Mohsen Schekari. “Any international organization watching this bloodbath and not responding is a disgrace to humanity,” she wrote on Instagram of the execution.
Culture workers targeted by the regime
Alidoosti has starred in several films by renowned Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, including The Salesman, which won the 2017 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. She also plays the title role in Said Rustaji’s Leila and Her Brothers, screened at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Even before the current wave of protests began, several prominent representatives of the Iranian film industry had been arrested this year, including the internationally award-winning directors Mohammed Rasulof and Jafar Panahi, who are still behind bars.
According to Iranian sources, more than 200 people have been killed in the protests that have been going on since September. International human rights organizations assume more than 450 dead. Thousands of people were arrested.