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| Jafar Panahi Photo: Diyarenoon |
Almost seven months after being detained in Iran's notorious Evin prison, film director Jafar Panahi is tonight a free man. He has been obliged to put up bail and the Iranian authorities are describing the arrangement as temporary, but no clear plans for further criminal proceedings have been revealed.
The No Bears director was arrested on 11 July and subsequently given a six year sentence for propaganda against the state, a charge which was filed after he showed support for previously detained filmmakers Mohammad Rasoulof, who was released early last month, and Mostafa Al-Ahmad, who remains in detention. Panahi won an appeal in the Supreme Court on 15 October but had still not been released. On 1 February he began refusing to consume food or water, and it is believed to be this which prompted the authorities to give way.
Panahi's lawyer, Saleh Nikbakht, said that he welcomed the release, but stressed that it was long overdue.
The news was welcomed globally. Cannes Film Festival tweeted: "It is with great relief that we learn of the release of Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi today."
Speaking at Rotterdam Film Festival, where his film Endless Borders won the Big Screen Competition award, Iranian filmmaker Abbas Amini added: “This is the second good news today: Jafar Panahi is free. I wish all filmmakers in the world the freedom to express themselves in any way.”
The Berlin Film Festival issued a statement, saying it "continues to stand in solidarity with the arrested filmmakers in Iran and the people in Iran fighting for their rights".
Its directors Mariëtte Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian said: “We were very concerned for the health of Jafar Panahi and are now very glad that he has finally been released.”
