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Jafar Panahi, the director of the 2000 Venice Film Festival Golden Lion winner, The Circle, was holding a work-related meeting with filmmakers, actors and other industry workers at his home in Tehran at around 10pm on Monday 1^st March 2010 when his house was raided by approximately fifteen plain-clothed government officers.   The officers, four of whom were women, searched the property for several hours before taking Panahi, his wife and daughter, and fifteen guests including filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof into custody.   The officers also confiscated a computer and a large number of documents and videos.    The move by security forces was believed to have been part of a crackdown on supporters of the opposition Green movement.

Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi denied there was any political motive behind Panahi’s arrest, saying, ‘The arrest of Jafar Panahi is not because he is an artist or for political reason.   He is accused of some crimes and was arrested with another person following an order by a judge.’

 49-year-old Panahi was already banned from traveling after he wore green – the colour of opposition supporters – at the Montreal Film Festival.  In February 2010 he was prevented from attending the Berlin Film Festival, and in the summer of 2009 he was arrested after attending a memorial for Neda Agha Soltan, who died during post-election protests.   Although Panahi is not considered a political filmmaker by the wider film community, most of his films are banned in Iran.

18/5/10: Jafar Panahi on Hunger Strike

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