Arrested on Saturday December 17 by Iranian police, actress Taraneh Alidoosti took a stand against the Iranian regime through a series of posts on Instagram. She had notably denounced, on December 8, the execution of Mohsen Shekari, hanged after being accused of carrying out a “War Against God”. The imprisonment of the actress, known on the international scene for having played, among other things, in films by director Asghar Farhadi, whose The customer (2016), caused a wave of indignation in the film industry.
In a press release, published Monday, December 19, the Cannes Film Festival “strongly condemn” the arrest of the actress and asks for her “immediate release”. “In solidarity with the peaceful fight she leads for freedom and women’s rights”the Festival sent him, on Monday, “all his support” on social networks.
Questioned the same day on Franceinfo, the general delegate of the Festival, Thierry Frémaux, added: “She might not engage, and she does. For four months that Iran has been in the throes of all these upheavals, she has never ceased to engage. We want her to know that we are here, that we are asking for her release. (…) She is one of those people who stay in the country and who intend to fight where they are. It is both wonderful and disturbing for her. »
“Courageous actress”
Franco-Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani, in exile, also reacted with a post on Instagram – on which she has 15 million followers –, accompanied by a photo where we see her next to the actress: “The brave actress from Iran has been arrested. This photo was taken in July 2008, just before I left Iran for good. It was the last time I saw her. »
Director Asghar Farhadi also gave him his support by publishing a text in English and Farsi: “I worked with Taraneh on four films, he writes under the banner of the hashtag #FreeTaranehAlidoosti. Today, she is in prison for rightly supporting her compatriots and opposing the unjust sentences that are being handed down. If showing such support is a crime, then tens of millions of people in this country are criminals. »
The Locarno International Film Festival (Switzerland) also took a stand for the actress in a press release: “Taraneh Alidoosti, winner at Locarno in 2002, was arrested for her support for the Iranian revolution. The Locarno Film Festival demands his immediate release. And also that of all the other political prisoners. »
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