Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, who is now in the United States supporting the awards campaign and theatrical premiere of his film “It Was Just an Accident”, has been sentenced to prison in absentia. According to journalist Mansour Jahani, Panahi has been condemned to one year in prison, a two-year prohibition from exiting Iran, and a restriction from joining any politically charged societal organisation. IndieWire corroborated the story with a person close to Panahi.
In the words of Jahani, who issued an announcement to journalists, “On Monday, December 1, 2025, attorney Mustafa Nili wrote on his social media X: Branch 26 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Tehran has sentenced Mr. Jafar Panahi in absentia to one year in prison and a two-year ban on leaving the country, as well as a ban on membership in political and social groups or factions, for propaganda activities against the regime. We will take the necessary legal steps to appeal this ruling.”
The particular allegations have not been published at this time, although Panahi has had a string of arrests relating to purported incitement against ideologies of the Islamic Republic. The outlet, IndieWire, desires clarity on when Panahi will return to Iran, as there is an assumption he will not be deported. He recently concluded his first U.S. tour, visiting cities such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, and Chicago. He is next scheduled to be present at the Marrakech Film Festival.
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He was imprisoned in 2022 after finishing “No Bears” and was held captive until February 2023, after starting a hunger strike at Evin prison. The events surrounding his detention and captivity inspired the production of “It Was Just an Accident,” which follows an Azerbaijani auto technician who believes he has identified his old torturer. It was produced without a license in Iran, as have all of Panahi’s recent films.
