Iran has sentenced award-winning filmmaker Jafar Panahi to five years in prison and ordered the seizure of his assets
Jafar Panahi poses on the red carpet during the Oscars arrivals at the 98th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S., March 15, 2026. PHOTO: Reuters
Iran’s Revolutionary Court sentenced award-winning film director Jafar Panahi to five years in prison and the seizure of all his assets, Iran’s semi-official Nournews reported on Wednesday, citing his lawyer but without mentioning the charges he faced.
The court also banned Panahi from leaving the country for two years and from any social media activity, the report said.
Panahi’s lawyer, Mostafa Nili, could not be immediately reached for comment.
Panahi, whose film It Was Just an Accident won the Palme d’Or at the 2025 Cannes film festival, has been arrested several times in the past for his filmmaking.
Despite having been sentenced to a one-year prison sentence in absentia in 2025 for propaganda activities against the system, Panahi returned to the country in March.
