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Iran’s Revolutionary Court sentences director Panahi to jail term, travel ban

By Thomson Reuters Oct 28, 2026 | 9:17 AM

DUBAI, Oct 28 (Reuters) – Iran’s Revolutionary Court sentenced award-winning film director Jafar Panahi ​to five years ‌in prison and the seizure of all his assets, Iran’s semi-official Nournews reported on Wednesday, ‌citing ​his lawyer but ⁠without mentioning the ⁠charges he faced.

The court also banned Panahi from leaving the country for two ​years and from any social media activity, the ⁠report said.

Panahi’s ⁠lawyer, Mostafa Nili, could ​not be immediately reached for ​comment.

Panahi, whose film “It Was Just ‌an Accident” won the Palme d’Or at the 2025 Cannes film festival, ⁠has been arrested several times in the past for his filmmaking.

Despite ⁠having ‌been sentenced to a ⁠one-year prison sentence ​in ‌absentia in 2025 for ​propaganda activities ⁠against the system, Panahi returned to the country in March.

(Reporting by Emily Giles, Editing by Editing by ​Alex Richardson)