Oscar-nominated co-writer of It Was Just an Accident released from Iranian prison

"Mehdi Mahmoudian, the Oscar-nominated co-writer of It Was Just an Accident, has been released from an Iranian prison 17 days after his arrest, according to local media reports. Mahmoudian was arrested in Tehran shortly after signing a statement condemning Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the regime's violent crackdown on demonstrators. On Tuesday, he was released from the Nowshahr prison, along with two other signatories of the statement, Vida Rabbani and Abdollah Momeni."

"Mehdi Mahmoudian, Vida Rabbani, and Abdollah Momeni peacefully exercised their right to express their views, but the regime responded by accusing them of insulting the supreme leader' and propaganda against the Islamic Republic', Panahi said in a statement on Tuesday. For years, such charges have been used as tools to criminalize thought, silence criticism, and instill fear in society. Turning a civil and peaceful act into a national security case is a clear sign of intolerance toward the independent voices of citizens."

"Mahmoudian, a writer and political activist, has previously been imprisoned multiple times, including a five-year term that ended in 2014 on charges of mutiny against the regime. Panahi, who has himself been jailed and put under house arrest by the Islamic Republic regime, and Mahmoudian met in prison."

Mehdi Mahmoudian was arrested in Tehran after signing a statement condemning Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the regime's violent crackdown on demonstrators. He was released from Nowshahr prison 17 days later on bail alongside Vida Rabbani and Abdollah Momeni. No immediate details about formal charges were available. Mahmoudian is an Oscar-nominated co-writer of It Was Just an Accident, which is also nominated for best international feature as France's submission. Panahi said the regime accused the three of insulting the supreme leader and propaganda. Mahmoudian has previously served multiple prison terms, including a five-year sentence ending in 2014.

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