Mehdi Mahmoudian, co-writer of “It Was Just an Accident,” was released from an Iranian prison Tuesday, 17 days after his arrest in Tehran by Iranian authorities.
The Oscar-nominated screenwriter as well as activists Vida Rabbani and Abdollah Momeni were arrested after signing “The Statement of the Seventeen” condemning the actions of Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The three individuals were reportedly released on a bail of 6.5 billion tomans — roughly $10,000 — each, which was a conditional release by the Revolutionary Court negotiated by their legal counsel.
“Mehdi Mahmoudian, Vida Rabbani and Abdollah Momeni peacefully exercised their right to express their views, but the regime responded by accusing them of ‘insulting the Supreme Leader’ and ‘propaganda against the Islamic Republic,’” writer-director of “It Was Just an Accident” Jafar Panahi said in a statement following their release.
Panahi also signed the statement condemning the Islamic Republic. He was sentenced in absentia to one year in prison for “propaganda activities” by Iranian authorities in December.
“For years, such charges have been used as tools to criminalize thought, silence criticism, and instill fear in society,” he added. “Turning a civil and peaceful act into a national security case is a clear sign of intolerance toward the independent voices of citizens.”
Mahmoudian’s statement condemned the deadly crackdown on protesters by Iranian authorities, accusing the Islamic Republic and its leaders of crimes against humanity. Tens of thousands of people were killed, injured and arrested during the protest – largely veiled by a digital blackout – which the statement described as “nothing less than an assault on Iran’s national security and a betrayal of the country.”
“The Statement of the Seventeen,” signed Jan. 28, concluded that the primary responsibility for the “atrocities lies with Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, and the repressive structure of the regime.”
Mahmoudian and Panahi’s film was nominated for Best International Feature Film and Best Original Screenplay at the 98th Academy Awards. The Iranian-made thriller also won the Palme d’Or at Cannes.
