A group of Iranian artists and writers called for the cancellation of Reza Mihandoust's prison sentence.
180 artists, writers, and cinema and theater directors in Iran published a letter calling for the cancellation of the 42-month prison sentence of Reza (Navid) Mihandoust, an Iranian writer and director.
In this letter, a copy of which was also sent to VOA, the signatories, referring to the film "Taj Khar" directed by Mr. Mihandoust, stated that "the accusation of making a documentary film 12 years ago that has not yet been broadcast and released, and about a journalist who was living and working in the country at that time, is considered a retroactive example." The film "Taj Khar" deals with the life and press activities of Masih Alinejad, host and commentator of VOA's Tablet program, in Iran.
Neda Mihandoust, Reza Mihandoust's sister, also told VOA, referring to some of the signatories of the letter, including Homayoun Asadian and Abolhassan Davoudi, former directors of the Cinema House, that the statement issued is a completely union-wide support, not just for filmmakers, and includes a diverse range of artists.
According to Ms. Mihandoust, the support of these Iranian artists despite the specific conditions prevailing in Iran shows that "this broad spectrum is unanimous about these sentences that are being issued, in relation to people who do cultural work, and they explicitly called for a halt to these sentences, and considered these sentences to be a clear violation of freedom of expression and illegal."
The signatories of this letter, including Kiomars Pourahmad, a writer and film director, Ataneh Faghih Nasiri, a film and television actor, Ali Mosaffa, an actor, writer, and director, and Tahmineh Milani, a writer and film director, while reacting to the prison sentence issued by the Security Prosecution, which they say is not very familiar with the filmmaking profession and cultural activities, say: "These actions, assuming they occurred, should be examined with careful expertise by the Culture and Media Prosecution, which is one of the specialized prosecutions in the judicial system of the Islamic Republic of Iran."
Reza Mihandoost, who has directed two television series called "The Glass Wall" and "Maybe It Will Happen to You" and a feature film called "Whatever God Wills" in his artistic career, was summoned by the Ministry of Intelligence on Wednesday, December 13, 2019, to give some explanations after his short-term detention on November 19, 2019. After his arrest, he was transferred to Ward 209 of the Ministry of Intelligence in Evin Prison and was finally released from prison on February 14, 2019, after the interrogations ended and he posted a bail of 850 million tomans, temporarily until the end of the trial.
The trial of this Iranian writer and director was held in early January of last year at Branch 28 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court. In late January, his defense lawyer was notified of the three-year and six-month prison sentence issued on charges of “propaganda activity against the regime through slogan writing” and “acting against the country’s national security through membership in groups opposed to the regime with the intention of overthrowing it.”
According to Neda Mihandoust, despite the case lawyer's objection to the verdict issued in the first instance court, the verdict was upheld in its entirety in the appeals court. According to the law, this verdict will be enforceable for three years.
The US Department of State has repeatedly condemned the Islamic Republic's government's violent actions against the people of Iran under various pretexts, and the Islamic Republic's repeated and persistent violations of the rights of Iranian citizens, including the right to freedom of expression and freedom of the press.
Source: Voice of America
