Jafar Panahi, an award winning filmmaker from Iran, has been sentenced to six years in jail for making movies about humanitarian issues in his home country. Just goes to show how a dictatorial government works.
Because he demonstrated such high opposition against the Iranian Government, the conviction effectively bars Panahi from making any films for the next twenty years and he will not be allowed to write any scripts, travel or do any interviews with any form of news media, nor was he allowed to attend the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year.
I knew that Iran had some harsh punishments for even the slightest opposition of the Government, but prohibiting a world renowned filmmaker just for demonstrating to audiences how horrible things in Iran have been from the human rights perspective, is incredible.
Panahi was initially arrested in June, 2009 after the re-election of president (and clown) Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which sparked nationwide protests bringing about major opposition of Iran's people. The protests left many arrested and jailed; others wounded and killed. After Panahi's release in early 2010, he continued to show opposition against Iran's Government and was later arrested again.
His attorney is trying to appeal his conviction but it seems obvious that when it comes to appeals in Iran, there are very few. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is also known for refusing to pardon or intervene in any court decisions within Iran.
Nevertheless, the world renowned and respected filmmaker is drawing support from Hollywood directors including Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola, who have publicly criticized his conviction.
It just goes to show how bad things are in other countries when it comes to free speech. Even when things in the United States are crumbling, sometimes you are still thankful to live here than in a country like Iran.
Because here, you can actually criticize the Government anytime you want and get away with it!
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