Acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi warned on Tuesday that the Islamic Republic is intimidating artists to erase evidence of its violent crackdown on protesters, citing the killing of a fellow director as the reality the authorities are trying to suppress.
Panahi said on Instagram that the killing of filmmaker Javad Ganji has been followed by an escalating campaign of intimidation against artists aimed at erasing the truth about protest deaths.
Panahi said directors Majid Barzegar and Behtash Sanaeiha were separately summoned and harshly interrogated for hours over a joint statement condemning state violence, warning that more cinema professionals are expected to face summons and that heavy judicial cases are already open.
"Fars News (IRGC-linked) says that some assets have been seized and convicts will be forced to pay for public damages. The regime is attempting to erase its massacre of protesters by intimidating artists, fabricating loyalty narratives, and burying the truth under judicial repression," Panahi said.
"International filmmakers and artists: Stand with your Iranian colleagues now."
Panahi said state media reported that, on orders from Tehran’s prosecutor, files have been built against 10 House of Cinema signatories, 15 prominent actors and athletes, and around 60 cafés allegedly linked to protests.
