Taraneh Alidoosti, Leading Iranian Actress, Reportedly Detained Over Social Media Posts

Iranian authorities have arrested Taraneh Alidoosti, one of the country’s best known actresses, after she expressed solidarity with anti-government demonstrators in a social media post.

The BBC, quoting an Iranian state media agency, reported Alidoosti was detained on charges of “spreading falsehoods” about the protest movement that has gripped the country, state media said. In an Instagram post last week, she condemned the execution of a man over his involvement with the protests.

She has been a frequent thorn in the regime’s side. Earlier, she posted an Instagram photo without a headscarf, a garment required in the Islamic Republic. It was done in solidarity with widespread anti-government protests sparked by the death in police custody of a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini, for not wearing a headscarf in public.

Alidoosti is the latest member of the Iranian arts and entertainment community to be detained. The list includes filmmakers Jafar Panahi, Mohammad Rasoulof and Mostafa Al-Ahmad, singer Singer Shervin Hajipour, and Kurdish Tehran-based rapper Saman Yasin, who could face the death penalty after being found guilty of “enmity against God” in a court hearing at the end of October.

Alidoosti is best known for her role in the Oscar-winning film The Salesman. The 38-year-old Alidoosti was also at the Cannes Film Festival this year with Competition Title Leila’s Brothers, and appeared in the film Orca.

In her latest post, the actress condemned those who did not speak out on the execution of protester Mohsen Shekari.

A post on the state news agency IRNA’s Telegram account said Alidoosti was arrested by police for failing to provide “any documents in line with her claims” on social media.

Her Instagram account was recently taken down. At the time, it had 8 million followers.

Aldoosti refuses to leave Iran despite the government crackdown. Earlier, she wrote, “I do not have a passport or residence anywhere except Iran. I’ll stay and look you straight in the eyes like all these normal people when I scream for my rights.

“I’ve inherited this courage from the women of my land, who for years have been living their lives, every day with resistance… I will stay, I will not quit, I will stand with the families of the prisoners and murdered and demand their rights. I will fight for my home, I will pay whatever it takes to stand up for my rights, and most importantly: I believe in what we are building together today.”

Melanie Goodfellow contibuted to this report.