Iran Human Rights Condemns Arrest of Filmmakers Mohammad Rasoulof and Mostafa Al-Ahmad
Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); July 8, 2022: Filmmakers and human rights defenders Mohammad Rasoulof and Mostafa Al-Ahmad have been arrested in a raid by security forces on July 8. According to state media, they were arrested for signing the May 29 statement from 100 cinematographers addressed to the country’s armed forces whom they accused of “turning into the agents of people’s oppression” and asked them to lay down their arms and “return to the arms of the nation.”
The statement was issued after the brutal crackdown of protests in Abadan and several other cities and collapse of the Metropol building in Abadan. 40 people were killed when the residential building collapsed on May 23 due to the officials’ mismanagement, widespread corruption and building safety violations that were ignored during construction.
Condemning the arrests of Mohammad Rasoulof and Mostafa Al-Ahmad for voicing their opinions and showing support to victims, Iran Human Rights considers it a gross violation of freedom of expression rights and fundamental human rights, and demands their immediate and unconditional release.
Director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said: “Mohammad Rasoulof and Mostafa Al-Ahmad’s arrests demonstrate the authorities’ desperation that they can’t tolerate any expression of critical opinion. Their arrest is the authorities’ futile attempt at instilling fear in society and silencing human rights defenders.” He added: “Mohammad Rasoulof and Mostafa Al-Ahmad haven’t committed any crimes and must be immediately and unconditionally released. The international community must also react to the repression of human rights defenders in Iran.”
Mohammad Rasoulof is an internationally award-winning filmmaker and abolitionist. In the foreword penned for Iran Human Rights’ 2021 Annual Report on the Death Penalty, he called the death penalty “organised and legalised killings” and discussed ways that it could be reduced to ultimate abolition.
Mohammad Rasoulof has experienced both the censorship and punishments for his films throughout the years. Most recently, he was sentenced to a year imprisonment on charges of “propaganda against the system” for three of his films, including “There is No Evil” which offers different perspectives on the death penalty and “A Man of Integrity.” He was also banned from leaving Iran for two years which deprived him of the chance to accept his 2020 Berlin Golden Bear prize and 2021 Sydney Film Festival’s top film prize for “There is No Evil.”
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