Oscar-nominated screenwriter Mehdi Mahmoudian arrested in Iran after signing protest letter

Mehdi Mahmoudian, an Oscar-nominated Iranian screenwriter and human-rights activist, was arrested on Saturday after signing a letter condemning the government’s crackdown on protesters, the United States-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported. Mr. Mahmoudian, a co-writer of the film It Was Just an Accident, was among 17 prominent lawyers, artists and activists who signed the statement blaming Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, for recent killings and mass arrests of protesters, the rights agency said.

There was no information about where Mr. Mahmoudian and other signatories were being held, and the agency said it was not clear what they were being charged with; BBC Persian reported there has been no public comment from the government. BBC Persian later reported Mr. Mahmoudian had spoken to a lawyer, and a post on his social media said he briefly contacted his family to inform them of his arrest and health but could not provide further details.

The arrests followed more than a month of demonstrations that began in Tehran over economic hardships and then spread into broader calls for a new government; the letter held Ayatollah Khamenei directly accountable for the government’s violent response and called for the prosecution of those behind the repression.

The New York Times account also said the protests were increasingly met with deadly force and noted international tensions referenced in reporting. Mr.

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