Why Iran sentenced Jafar Panahi to 5 years in prison
What's the story
Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, whose film It Was Just An Accident was nominated in the Best International Feature Film category as the French entry at the 2026 Oscars, has been sentenced to five years and one month in prison. The director's lawyer, Mostafa Nili, told Emtedad News Agency that the Tehran Revolutionary Court's Branch 26 also ordered confiscation of his possessions and assets. The court imposed a two-year ban on social media and travel as well.
Legal proceedings
Panahi learned about his conviction through bank account freeze
Nili revealed that Panahi found out about the ongoing court hearings against him when his bank accounts were unexpectedly frozen.
The lawyer and his client subsequently visited the Sentence Enforcement Unit of the Culture and Media Prosecutor's Office.
There, they discovered that Panahi had been convicted "in absentia" in another case.
Despite having three open cases in Iran, Nili stated that Panahi was not officially summoned for hearings even though he is currently in the country.
Past convictions
This sentence adds to the previous 1-year prison term
This new sentence adds to a one-year prison term and two-year travel ban imposed by the Iranian Branch 26 court in 2025 for "propaganda activities against the system."
The director had originally gone to prison to inquire about fellow filmmakers Mohammad Rasoulof and Mostafa Al-Ahmad, who were arrested for criticizing the authorities.
Ongoing conflict
His long-standing battle with Iranian authorities
Over the last two decades, Panahi has had multiple confrontations with Iranian authorities.
In 2010, he was banned from making movies, speaking to the press, and traveling. Despite these restrictions, he continued to make films.
In 2022, he was arrested in connection with protests by a group of filmmakers but was released seven months later.
His travel ban was lifted in April 2023 when Iranian authorities permitted him to attend Cannes for the premiere of It Was Just An Accident.