Protest against arrest of Iranian film-maker Jafar Panahi‏

international | rights, freedoms and repression | press release Friday March 05, 2010 14:10 by Anne - Hands Off The People Of Iran

Press release/for immediate release

Internationally renowned Iranian film maker Jafar Panahi arrested by Islamic regime. Hopi demands immediate release of artist critical of the theocratic regime in films such as ‘The Circle’ (Darareh) and ‘Offside’.

‘Arrest could be pre-emptive strike by regime against International Women’s Day protests and demos’, says Yassamine Mather (Hopi chair)

Jafar Panahi

Iranian film maker Jafar Panahi has been arrested along with his wife Tahereh Saidi, their daughter and fifteen guests who happened to be at their home. State forces took away many of Panahi’s possessions in the course of the arrest. Panahi has been unable to attend film festivals abroad since wearing a green scarf at the Montreal Film Festival in 2009. He was arrested briefly after attending the memorial service of murdered student, Neda Agha Soltan.

Panahi is well known for his socially critical films such as the award-winning ‘The Circle’ (Dayareh) which won awards at the Venice Film Festival in 2000 including the prestigious Gold Lion Award, and ‘Offside’, which won the Silver Bear award at the 2006 Berlin Film Festival.

Both expose the crushing inequality of women in today’s Iran. His most famous film in the West, ‘Offside’, is the story of a group of women attempting to sneak into Iran’s football match against Bahrain during World Cup qualifiers. The women are arrested and chained to the railings outside the stadium. From there, they have to listen to the cheers of the all-male crowd watching Iran’s victory.

Panahi’s films vividly dramatise the second class status of women in Iran faced and the brutal barriers they face to playing a full and active role in society.

Yassamine Mather, leading Iranian political activist commented:

“Given Panahi’s subject matter, this arrest could be a pre-emptive strike by the regime against potential anti-government protests and demos on International Women’s Day (March 8).

“We call for letters of protest to the Iranian embassy in Dublin. We should demand Panahi’s release using our own, militant methods of protests and struggle. But we should have nothing but contempt for the crocodile tears that leaders of imperialist governments that threaten Iran with sanctions and war will no doubt shed over Panahi and others like him.

“The theocracy and imperialism have a symbiotic relationship. Iran uses the pressure of the West to brand any opposition to its rule an imperialist ‘fifth column’; for the West, Iran is a useful bogey-man in a region which is the focus of ‘the war on terror’.”

Hopi calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Jafar Panahi, Tahereh Saidi, their daughter and all political prisoners in Iran. We call on all progressive and democrats to send letters, emails, fax of protest to the Iranian embassy. (Please also send copies to us).

Send your letters of protest to:

Embassy of Iran in Dublin,. 72, Mount Merrion Avenue, Blackrock, Co., Dublin Tel: (353 1) 288 0252. Fax: (353 1) 283 4246. E-mail: IranEmbassy@indigo.ie .

Contact Anne on Anne@hopoi.info or 086 2343 238 for more information about Hopi activities in Ireland.