Award-winning Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof has fled to Europe days after being sentenced by the Islamic Republic to prison, flogging and confiscation of his assets.
“After a long and complicated journey, we arrived in Europe a few days ago,” Rasulov told The Associated Press in a statement dated Sunday.
His lawyer told The Associated Press last week, just before his scheduled appearance at the Cannes Film Festival, that he was sentenced to eight years in prison and caning. The newswire added that Iranian authorities have not yet recognized the filmmaker’s sentence and there was no immediate comment on his departure.
in statement In a post on his Instagram account on Monday, Rasourov accused the Iranian government of being an oppressive and barbaric regime.
“Even if geographical Iran suffers from your religious tyranny, cultural Iran lives in the common hearts of the millions of Iranians who were driven from Iran by your atrocities, and no power “From today I am a civilized resident of Iran,” he wrote.
According to the Associated Press, Rasulov was among a group of artists who co-signed a letter calling on authorities to “put down the guns” during demonstrations over a building collapse that killed at least 29 people in the city of Abadan in 2022. He was later charged, the Associated Press reported. .
“This judgment was made because Mr. Rasolov signed a statement in support of the Iranian people,” his lawyer Babak Paknia told The Associated Press. He said these comments, along with his tweets and further social activities, were found to be “acts contrary to national security.”
Pakina told the newswire that he was tried at a revolutionary court in Tehran. In addition to the prison term, Rasulov also faces caning, fines and asset seizure, his lawyer said.
Rasourov was scheduled to attend the Cannes Film Festival later this month for the premiere of his new film, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig.” He is best known for There Is No Evil, a drama film about the introduction of the death penalty in Iran.
He has dealt with repeated prison sentences, film bans and travel bans in Iran, which rejects artists who have embraced the West.
The Associated Press contributed.
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