Editor's note: this story was translated from the original VOA Persian article.
The Tehran Revolutionary Court has sentenced Jafar Panahi, the renowned Iranian director and filmmaker, to five years and one month in prison. The court also ordered the total confiscation of all his property, a two-year ban on social media activity, and a two-year travel ban.
Panahi’s defense attorney, Mostafa Nili disclosed the verdict to the news website Emtedad, revealing the sentence was issued in absentia and "without scheduling a court hearing" by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court.
Explaining how they learned of the sentence, Nili added: "Last week, we noticed that Mr. Panahi’s bank accounts had been frozen. Upon visiting the sentence execution branch of the Culture and Media Prosecutor’s Office, we learned of his new sentence."
Jafar Panahi, director of It Was Just An Accident and winner of the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, returned to Iran via land border crossing in late March 2026, following the Oscar campaign for his film.
Panahi’s return to Iran came after he had previously been sentenced in absentia to one year in prison, a two-year travel ban, and a two-year prohibition from joining political or social organizations on charges of "propaganda against the state" - citing allegations of "making subversive underground films against the government," supporting political prisoners and protests, and backing the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement.
The U.S. Department of State has previously cited the restrictions imposed on Jafar Panahi in its human rights reports on Iran, highlighting his travel ban and prosecution on charges of "propaganda against the Islamic Republic" as prominent examples of the suppression of freedom of expression and artistic activity in the country.
The State Department also noted that the Islamic Republic imposes widespread restrictions on cultural and artistic freedoms through strict oversight of film production and screening, censorship of cinematic works, and the prosecution of critical filmmakers.
Additionally, the U.S. Department of the Treasury previously sanctioned two Revolutionary Court judges, Abolghasem Salavati and Mohammad Moghiseh, for their roles in penalizing citizens for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and assembly.
When announcing those sanctions in December 2019, the Treasury Department emphasized that Iranian artists, including filmmakers and poets, have been prosecuted on charges such as "propaganda against the state" and "assembly and collusion against national security" solely due to the content of their creative work.
Acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi is one of the few directors in cinema history to win top honors at the world’s major European film festivals, having earned the Golden Lion at Venice, the Golden Bear at Berlin, the Golden Leopard at Locarno, and both Palme d’Or and the Caméra d'Or at Cannes