Mehdi Mahmoudian, co-screenwriter of Jafar Panahi’s Oscar-nominated political drama “It Was Just An Accident,” was arrested in Tehran on Saturday after supporting a statement condemning the actions of Ali Khamenei, head of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Two of the other 17 co-singers were also arrested. Mr. Panahi, who was recently sentenced in absentia in Iran to one year in prison, was one of the signatories. Activists’ statements condemn the Iranian government’s horrific operations against civilian protesters. It read in part: “The mass and systematic killing of civilians who bravely took to the streets to end an illegitimate regime constitutes a systematic state crime against humanity. The use of live ammunition against civilians, the killing of tens of thousands of people, the arrest and persecution of tens of thousands more, the assault on the injured, the obstruction of medical care, and the killing of injured protesters are nothing less than an attack on Iran’s national security and a betrayal of Iran.” ”
After “It Was an Accident” won the Palme d’Or at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, Panahi, an experienced filmmaker and political activist who emerged into the American mainstream as an influential voice, released a statement praising his co-screenwriter.
“I met Mehdi Mahmoudian in prison,” Panahi said in a statement. “From day one, he stood out, not only because of his gentle demeanor and kind actions, but also because of his rare sense of responsibility towards others. Whenever new prisoners arrived, Mehdi sought to provide them with basic necessities and, more importantly, give them a sense of security. He became a quiet pillar in the prison, trusted and confidant by prisoners of all beliefs and backgrounds.”
He added: “Mehdi Mahmoudian is more than just a human rights activist and a prisoner of conscience. He is a witness, a listener and a rare moral presence whose absence is immediately felt both inside and outside prison walls.”
Panahi’s full statement is below.
I met Mehdi Mahmoudian in prison. From the first days, he was notable not only for his calm demeanor and kind actions, but also for his rare sense of responsibility towards others. Whenever new prisoners arrived, Mehdi sought to provide them with basic necessities and, more importantly, give them a sense of security. He became a quiet pillar within the prison, someone that inmates of all beliefs and backgrounds could trust and confide in.
We spent seven months together in prison. A few months after his release, when I was working on the script for It Was Just an Accident, I asked him to help me refine the dialogue. Nine years of incarceration gave him first-hand, lived knowledge of the justice system and prison life. His extensive fieldwork in the field of human rights also made him a trusted and authoritative confidant.
I remember that while filming It Was Just an Accident, we shot a 13-minute shot of them tying the Inquisitor to a tree from dusk to dawn one night, and it didn’t turn out well. The next night I took Mehdi on set and used his understanding of interrogators to help him understand the details that we needed to get right. That night, with Mehdi’s help, we finally managed to capture the shot.
Forty-eight hours before his arrest, we spoke on the phone and exchanged several messages afterwards. I sent him my last message at 4am. There was no reply until noon the next day. I got worried and contacted a mutual friend. No one had heard from him. A few hours later, BBC Persian officially announced that Mehdi Mahmoudian, Abdullah Momeni and Vida Rabbani had been arrested.
Mehdi Mahmoudan is not just a human rights activist and a prisoner of conscience. He is a witness and a listener, a rare moral presence whose absence is immediately felt both inside and outside prison walls. — Jafar Panahi
