Thaindian News

May 26, 2010 (Pen Men at Work): Prominent filmmaker of Iran, Jafar Panahi, who has acquired awards for his excellent works in the past, has been released from prison in Iran. He had been detained there for nearly 3 months. Jafar Panahi had submitted himself to a hunger strike since May 16.

Subsequent to his freedom, Jafar Panahi was transported to the hospital to undergo a health check. A trustworthy friend of Panahi from New York, who had conversed with Panahi by phone after Panahi’s release, uttered that Panahi’s voice sounded reasonably upbeat. His communications indicated that he was fairly buoyant. Panahi elucidated that he was grateful to all the persons, who had backed him during this troublesome period.

Pictures of Panahi, clicked after his discharge from jail, have demonstrated Panahi to be somewhat leaner than he was prior to his incarceration. The trustworthy buddy of Panahi, who supplied these photos to the news media, stated that these pictures had arrived from the director, Jafar Panahi’s family. The trustworthy ally in question demanded that his anonymousness be maintained in order to shield his family members residing in Iran.

The Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA) stated that Panahi was likely to be set free on a $200,000 bail. The ILNA uttered that Jafar’s wife, Tahereh Saeedi, mentioned that the release of Jafar Panahi took place as a consequence of a dialogue between Tehran’s prosecutor and Jafar Panahi.

Jafar had been placed behind bars as he was creating a film that revolved around the June 12 presidential election in Iran that generated massive disruption in Iran as many challenged its legitimacy. The aftermath of the disputed election witnessed immense fighting on the streets and numberless students, opposition politicians, liberals and filmmakers were imprisoned.

The case of Jafar Panahi has magnetized global attention, most recently at the Cannes Film Festival in France. There, the detention of Panahi was discussed and a request was emitted for his release.