Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof faces new charges, 8-year prison sentence

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Dissident Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof, who was recently released from prison on medical grounds, now faces new charges that could land him back in jail.

Iranian authorities have brought three fresh charges against the director, accusing him of illegalassembly and collusion against national security, of insulting the regime leadership, and of spreading propaganda against the state. If found guilty by the Revolutionary Court, Rasoulouf could receive a new eight-year prison sentence. Rasoulof, an acclaimed director whose films have won prizes in Berlin and Cannes, is among the most prominent of the tens of thousands of Iranians who have been imprisoned in Iran over the past year for protesting against the government. Rasoulof was incarcerated last July after posting on social media calling on Iranian security forces to stop their violent attacks on demonstrators. Officially, he was imprisoned to serve out a two-year sentence initially brought against him in 2011 and 2019 for allegedly spreading propaganda against the state.

His arrest came before the death, in police custody, of the 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, an event that triggered nation-wide protests. In response, the Iranian government has been brutal in its efforts to crack down on protestors and to squash any criticism of the regime online.

Over the weekend, Iranian authorities granted Rasoulouf medical leave for a crucial surgery and released him from Tehran’s notorious Evin prison. On Monday, he was given his release order, meaning he will not have to return to prison to finish his original sentence.

But the new charges means he may not be free for long.

“It all depends on how the court reacts to the new charges,” Farzad Pak, a friend of Rasoulof’s and producer of his Golden Bear winning drama There Is No Evil, told The Hollywood Reporter.

Rasoulof’s release came shortly after that of fellow filmmaker Jafar Panahi, who was let out of Evin prison Feb. 3 after announcing he was going on a hunger strike. Panahi had been imprisoned after going to inquire after Rasoulof and fellow imprisoned filmmaker Mostafa Al-Ahmad. Courtesy