Iranian film director Jafar Panakhi was released from prison on bail

Iranian authorities have agreed to release famous film director Jafar Panaha from prison on bail. He was sentenced to six years in prison for supporting anti-government protests in 2010. Earlier it was reported that Panakhy went on a dry hunger strike as a sign of protest against the fact that he is still being held in prison even after his lawyer successfully challenged his detention.

The Iranian Union of Cinematographers stated that Panakha’s release was achieved through the joint efforts of his family, lawyers and film industry workers. However, the director’s release on bail is designated as temporary.

62-year-old Jafar Panakhi is one of the most famous Iranian film directors. His film “Taxi” received the grand prix of the Berlin Film Festival in 2015; the film “Three Faces” in 2018 received the award of the Cannes Film Festival for the best screenplay. He also received the “Golden Leopard” award of the Locarno Festival and the “Golden Lion” of the Venice Festival.

In May 2022, Panakhi, among more than 300 Iranian intellectuals and cultural figures, signed an open letter condemning the increasing repression against freedom of speech and creativity in the country.

• Panakhi was arrested in Tehran on July 11, 2022 and sentenced to six years in prison. The Iranian authorities announced that they decided to renew the sentence handed down in 2010 due to the fact that Panakhi attended the funeral of a student who was shot during anti-government protests in Tehran in 2009, and tried to make a film about those events.