‘It Was Just an Accident’ co-writer released from prison in Iran
Mehdi Mahmoudian, the co-writer of Jafar Panahi‘s It Was Just an Accident, has reportedly been released from prison in Iran.
Along with Vida Rabbani and Abdollah Momeni, Mahmoudian was arrested in January after signing the ‘Statement of the Seventeen’ letter, which condemned the actions of the Islamic Republic of Iran leader Ali Khamenei.
Now, after 17 days of incarceration, all three of them have been released on bail, but no information has been revealed in regards to the charges that Mahmoudian is potentially facing.
Panahi said in a statement on February 17th, “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.”
The director added, “For years, such charges have been used as tools to criminalize thought, silence criticism, and instill fear in society. Turning a civil and peaceful act into a national security case is a clear sign of intolerance toward the independent voices of citizens.”
Mahmoudian previously served a five-year prison sentence between 2009 and 2014 for “mutiny against the regime”, after documenting abuse of detainees at the Kahrizak Detention Center. The facility closed in 2009.
It Was Just an Accident is inspired by Panahi’s own brushes with the administration of Iran. The acclaimed director was previously imprisoned in 2022 at Iran’s Evin prison after making enquiries regarding the arrests of fellow Iranian director, Mohammad Rasoulof, for protesting.
Panahi was eventually released in 2023 after going on a hunger strike. Additionally, he was handed a six-year sentence in 2010 for anti-government activity, but it wasn’t enforced, and no prison time was spent.
At the Oscars next month, It Was Just an Accident is nominated for both ‘Best Adapted Screenplay’ and ‘Best International Feature Film’, after being submitted in the latter category on behalf of France.
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