Iran releases prominent actor Taraneh Alidoosti from jail on bail after she expressed her support of the protests that have plagued the nation for more than 100 days.
Alidoosti was arrested by Iranian police after she criticized the execution of a man who was involved in nationwide protests. She is known to have starred in the 2016 Oscar-winning film "The Salesman," and condemned the hanging of Mohsen Shekari.
Taraneh Alidoosti Released From Jail
The man was killed last month in the country's first known execution related to the nationwide protests. Shekari was reportedly convicted of "waging war against God" for supposedly stabbing a member of the Basij paramilitary force during a protest in Tehran on September 23, 2022.
The actor's lawyer said that their client was released on bail and that reformist outlet Shargh Daily published an article that featured Alidoosti on the street after she was released from the notorious Evin prison without the traditional Islamic hijab covering.
Another photo that was shared on social media showed the actor holding flowers with supporters after her release from jail. She has appeared in various popular Iranian TV shows and is known for her activism in the MeToo movement in Iran's cinema industry, as per CNN.
The actor is one of the latest celebrities in Iran who expressed their support for the protests. There have been more than 500 celebrities, actors, playwrights, novelists, and directors who signed an open letter calling for Alidoosti's release.
The open letter, which was titled "Free Taraneh Alidoosti," was signed by notable figures, including Emma Thompson, Mark Ruffalo, Penelope Cruz, Kate Winslet, and Kristen Stewart. Alidoosti was initially arrested for "lack of evidence for her claims" in relation to her protest against Shekari's hanging but she was not formally charged.
Alidoosti, who is known as a feminist activist, published last month a picture of herself on her Instagram that showed her without the Islamic hijab while holding a sign that read, "Women, Life, Freedom" in her show of support for the protest movement.
According to BBC, the protests that Alidoosti supported erupted nearly four months ago following the tragic death of Mahsa Amini while in police custody. The 22-year-old woman was initially arrested by morality police for allegedly failing to wear her hijab properly.
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Nationwide Iranian Protests
Iranian authorities have portrayed the demonstrations as foreign-backed "riots" and responded with lethal force. At least 516 protesters have so far been killed in violent clashes between law enforcement and demonstrators, including 70 children while 19,250 others have been detained.
Last month, two protesters were executed after being convicted of the vaguely-defined national security change of "enmity against God." Human rights groups have also condemned the trials as gross miscarriages of justice as detainees were reportedly tortured into confessing and were deprived of access to lawyers of their choosing.
A few days before Alidoosti was arrested, she urged the people to speak out in response to the execution of Shekari. She wrote on her Instagram account that every international organization that was watching the bloodshed unfold and did not take action was a disgrace to humanity.
Following the executions of the two protesters last month, there are roughly 100 protesters who have been detained that face possible death sentences for their actions, Reuters reported.
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