CAIRO – Iranian authorities arrested one of the country’s most popular actresses on Saturday for spreading lies about protests across the country, state media said.
IRNA reported that Taraneh Alidoosti, star of the Oscar-winning film “The Salesman,” was detained a week after she became the first person to be executed for crimes she allegedly committed during a protest on Instagram. A post was made expressing solidarity with the person.
The announcement is the latest in a series of celebrity arrests, that have included footballers, actors, and influencers, in response to their open display of support for anti-government demonstrations now in their third month
According to the report published on the state media’s official Telegram channel, Alidoosti was arrested because she did not provide ”any documents in line with her claims.″
It said that several other Iranian celebrities had also ″been summoned by the judiciary body over publishing provocative content,″ and that some had been arrested. It provided no further details.
In her post, the 38-year-old actress said: ″His name was Mohsen Shekari. Every international organization who is watching this bloodshed and not taking action is a disgrace to humanity.”
Shekari was executed by an Iranian court on December 9 after he was accused of blocking a road in Tehran and attacking a member of the country’s security forces with a knife.
In November, two other popular Iranian actresses, Hengama Ghaziani and Katayoun Rehi, were arrested by authorities for expressing solidarity with the protesters on social media. Iranian soccer player Voria Ghafouri was also arrested last month on charges of “insulting the national soccer team and spreading propaganda against the government.” All three have been released.
