Iranian director Jafar Panahi sentenced to one-year prison by Tehran court

The Revolutionary Court of Tehran upheld a one‑year imprisonment sentence for acclaimed filmmaker Jafar Panahi, rejecting his appeal against a December conviction for "propaganda against the state." Judge Imam Afshari, who is under European Union sanctions, confirmed the original verdict and imposed a two‑year travel ban and a prohibition on Panahi’s participation in political or social organisations. Panahi, 65, returned to Iran at the end of March despite the ruling, amid heightened tensions between Iran, the United States and Israel. The director, celebrated internationally with a Golden Bear in Berlin (2015) and a Golden Phoenix at Cannes (2025), has previously been jailed in 2010 and again from 2022‑2023. His latest conviction is linked to producing unlicensed films, publicly supporting political prisoners, and endorsing the "Women, Life, Freedom" movement that erupted after Mahsa Amini’s death in 2022.