Iranian Officials Arrest Famous Oscar-Winning Actress For Supporting Protests

(CTN NEWS) – CAIRO – According to official media, Iranian authorities detained one of the nation’s most well-known actresses on Saturday on suspicion of disseminating false information about the country’s ongoing statewide protests.

IRNA reported that Taraneh Alidoosti, the Oscar-winning star of “The Salesman,” was arrested a week after she posted a message of support for the first person recently put to death for crimes allegedly committed during the protests on Instagram.

Taraneh Alidoosti, Iranian actress, was arrested today Dec 17th in her house by the Islamic Republic’s forces. These forces also searched her house.

This photo of her without hijab was published on Nov 9th, with “Woman Life Freedom” slogan written on the paper in Kurdish. pic.twitter.com/nRG18GIFud

— Ghoncheh (@GhonchehAzad) December 17, 2022

The statement is the most recent in a string of celebrity arrests that have also included athletes, influencers, and actors in retaliation for their outspoken support of anti-government protests, which are now in their third month.

Alidoosti was detained following a report posted on the official Telegram channel of the state media since she failed to present “any papers in support of her claims.”

Other Iranian celebrities, it claimed, had also ′′been called by the judiciary authority over publishing controversial content,′′ and some had even been detained. It didn’t offer any more information.

The 38-year-old actress wrote in her post: “His name was Mohsen Shekari.” A humanity shame is every international organization that observes this bloodshed without doing anything.

#TaranehAlidoosti#ترانه_علیدوستی pic.twitter.com/0t0m0BEWZS

— Anonymous (@Anonymousnn3) December 17, 2022

After being accused by an Iranian court of obstructing a street in Tehran and assaulting a member of the nation’s security forces with a machete, Shekari was put to death on December 9.

Two additional well-known Iranian actresses, Hengameh Ghaziani and Katayoun Riahi, were detained by law enforcement in November for publicly showing support for demonstrators on social media.

Iranian soccer star Voria Ghafouri was detained last month for “insulting the national soccer team and spreading propaganda against the government.” All three of them have been let go.

Alidoosti has publicly supported demonstrators in at least three Instagram postings since September. Her account has been suspended despite having almost 8 million followers.

Majidreza Rahnavard, a second prisoner connected to the protests, was killed in Iran last week.

Rahnavard was brutally warned by leaving his dead body dangling from a construction crane.

The Iranian government accuses Rahnavard of stabbing two members of its paramilitary force.

Shekari and Rahnavard were both put to death less than a month after they were indicted, highlighting how quickly Iran now executes people who have been given death sentences for purported offenses connected to the protests.

23-year-old Iranian protestor Majidreza Rahnavard's dying wishes–before being hanged–reflect the living wishes of so many young Iranians living under theocratic tyranny.

"Don't cry, don't read the Koran, don't pray"

"Be joyful. Play happy music"pic.twitter.com/5TMHDEW5mK

— Karim Sadjadpour (@ksadjadpour) December 15, 2022

According to activists, at least a dozen people have received death sentences in closed-door proceedings. Iran is one of the world’s top executioners.

Since the murder of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on September 16, who passed away after being arrested by the morality police, Iran has been shaken by protests.

Since then, the protests have developed into one of the most significant threats to the theocracy that Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution erected.

Before this year’s protests, Alidoosti has already criticized the Iranian government and its police force.

She was handed a five-month prison sentence suspended in June 2020 after she criticized the police on Twitter in 2018 for attacking a woman who had taken off her headscarf.

According to Human Rights Activists in Iran, a group keeping track of the protests since they started, at least 495 people have died in the demonstrations amid a severe security crackdown.

The police have detained almost 18,200 people.

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