Situation of Jafar Panahi - Q&A (19 Jul. 2022)

Q: Iranian judicial authorities just announced that dissident Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, who was arrested last week in Tehran, will have to serve a six-year sentence in accordance with a verdict handed down in 2010. What is France’s reaction? Are you calling for his immediate release?

A: France reiterates its demand for Jafar Panahi’s immediate release, as it did following his arbitrary arrest.

We reaffirm our deep concern over the growing number of arrests of Iranian figures engaged in defending free speech in their country. France demands their immediate release and calls on the Iranian authorities to abide by their international commitments, especially with regard to free speech and creative freedom.