Oscar-nominated screenwriter arrested in Iran days after criticising regime

One of the screenwriters of an Oscar-nominated movie has been arrested successful Tehran days aft signing a connection condemning Iranian person Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his regime's convulsive crackdown connected protesters.

Mehdi Mahmoudian, who co-wrote the publication for the Iranian play It Was Just An Accident, was arrested connected Saturday, representatives of the movie said successful a statement. It is unclear what helium is charged with.

In the statement, Mahmoudian and 16 others wrote: "The wide and systematic sidesplitting of citizens who bravely took to the streets to bring an extremity to an illegitimate authorities constitutes an organised authorities transgression against humanity."

Among the signatories were writer Vida Rabbani and quality rights activistic Abdullah Momeni, who were besides arrested.

Mahmoudian's apprehension comes conscionable weeks earlier the Academy Awards successful March, wherever It Was Just An Accident is nominated for champion screenplay and champion planetary film.

It Was Just An Accident was filmed covertly successful Iran and was inspired by manager Jafar Panahi's astir caller stint successful prison, wherever helium met Mahmoudian. He said his co-writer was "a pillar" to different prisoners.

Panahi, who besides signed the connection criticising the Iranian regime, condemned Mahmoudian's arrest.

He said the screenwriter was "a uncommon motivation presence... whose lack is instantly felt, some wrong the situation walls and beyond them".

One of the astir acclaimed planetary filmmakers, Panahi has made films done assorted states of imprisonment, location apprehension and question ban.

Last year, helium was again sentenced to a twelvemonth successful situation for "propaganda activities against the system". Despite the sentence, Panahi, who has been travelling internationally to beforehand the film, said helium volition instrumentality to Iran.

The manager antecedently spoke retired astir the caller crackdown connected protesters by the Iranian government, calling it a "savage massacre".

Estimates from quality rights organisations and doctors connected the fig of radical who were killed successful the deadly protests scope from implicit 5,000 astatine the blimpish extremity to 33,000 by 1 count, and adjacent arsenic precocious arsenic 50,000, according to 1 unverified claim.