Six individuals, the filmmakers and producers of a documentary, were arrested on September 17th. These five documentary directors (Hadi Afarideh, Shahnam Bazdar, Naser Saffarian, Mohsen Shahrnazdar, and Mojtaba Mir Tahmasb) along with producer and distributor (Katayoun Shahabi), are alleged to have"provided BBC Persian with information, films and secret reports to paint a black picture of Iran and Iranians."
Their arrests follow the release of a documentary they created, about the life of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The film was broadcasted on BBC Persian, and was widly viewed across the nation.
The recent months have witnessed a growing attempt to silence those in the Iranian film industry, with arrests of actors, directors, and producers.
Since January of 2010, it has been declared illegal for any Iranian citizen to be in contact with over 60 foreign institutions, including media outlets such as the BBC, and some human rights organizations. However, despite this and the outright banning of satellite dishes, the BBC's satellite transmission of the program was jammed inside Iran.
This new attempt by Iranian officials to supress speech and ideals that counter those of the government itself is only one part of the growing problem in this and other nations. Amnesty International promotes the release of all people imprisoned because of who they are or what they believe.
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