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The lawyer added that Rasoulof’s public declarations and his involvement in film and documentary production were cited as the primary grounds for the sentence. The court interpreted these activities as instances of collaboration aimed at undermining the security of the country.
The development follows Iranian authorities placing significant pressure on Rasoulof to withdraw his latest project, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” from the Cannes Film Festival. This coercion involved harassing the film’s producers and summoning actors for questioning, prohibiting them from leaving the country.
Paknia, a human rights lawyer, had previously stated in a post on X that authorities summoned and interrogated various actors and producers involved in “Sacred Fig.” He further added that Iranian authorities exerted pressure on them to persuade Rasoulof to retract the film from the festival.
“Some of the film’s actors have been banned from leaving, and according to their statements, after several hours of interrogation, they were asked to ask the director to remove the film from the Cannes festival,” Paknia said on X.|
