INJUSTICE

Iranian Actress in Oscar-Winning Movie Arrested in Iran

Taraneh Alidoosti was arrested after criticizing the Iranian government for executing a man who was arrested during nationwide protests.

Iranian authorities have arrested Taraneh Alidoosti, an actress who was in the Oscar-winning movie The Salesman, on accusations she lied about nationwide protests across Iran, according to Iranian state media reports Saturday. Last week, 38-year-old Alidoosti took to Instagram to express solidarity with a man executed in Iran for crimes he allegedly committed during the protests. “His name was Mohsen Shekari. Every international organization who is watching this bloodshed and not taking action, is a disgrace to humanity,” she said in the post. Alidoosti is no stranger to backlash from the country, having previously served five months in prison in 2020 after she criticized police on Twitter for assaulting a woman who removed her headscarf. At least 495 people have been killed during demonstrations in the country, with more than 18,000 arrested, according to the group Human Rights Activists in Iran.