Prominent Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi has been sentenced one year in prison for alleged propaganda against the Islamic Republic, his lawyer said on X, as his latest film may be up for an international feature Oscar.
Mostafa Nili said Panahi was sentenced in absentia and that Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court also imposed a two-year travel ban and barred him from membership in any political or social organizations.
Panahi had travelled to the United States to collect three awards, including best director, at the Gotham Awards in New York for his latest film, It Was Just an Accident.
As one of Iran’s most acclaimed directors and a winner of major international film awards, Panahi has faced repeated arrest and curbs on his work in recent years.
In May, Panahi received the Palme d’Or at the 78th Cannes Film Festival for his film It Was Just an Accident, a political thriller shot secretly in Iran without government authorization and in open defiance of the country’s compulsory hijab laws.
In his acceptance speech, Panahi urged unity among Iranians striving for democracy: "Let's set aside our differences. The important thing now is the freedom of our country, so that no one would dare to tell us what to wear or what film to make."
In September, France selected the film as its submission for the Academy Awards in the international feature category, giving the filmmaker a path to Hollywood that Tehran was unlikely to offer.
The 98th Academy Awards will take place in Los Angeles on March 15, 2026.
Panahi has spent much of the past 15 years under house arrest or in prison. He was arrested in July 2022 after he protested against the arrest of two fellow filmmakers who had voiced criticism of the authorities. He was sentenced to six years in prison before being released on bail in early 2023.
Nasir Abedi, the former administrative and financial deputy of IIDO's Tehran office, had been convicted of rape and sexual abuse of one daughter and assault against another, according to the source who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation.
Abedi, the source said, repeatedly assaulted one girl before she turned twelve, adding that a forensic examiner confirmed rape and the court upheld the findings.
But senior figures, the source added, intervened in the judicial process as the case progressed.
The charge relating to the second child was removed from the final verdict following internal pressure, leaving only one count of rape. The sentence of flogging “was never carried out because of outside interference,” the source told Iran International.
The organization, according to the source, also acted to block any public disclosures once details of the case circulated internally.
Potential death sentences
Under Iranian criminal law, sexual relations with close relatives constitute one of the gravest offenses, carrying a potential death sentence if penetration is legally established.
While cases involving coercion against children can result in capital punishment or other severe penalties, proceedings within family structures are often influenced by pressure from political, clerical or security institutions.
The timing of the revelations coincides with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, drawing renewed attention to domestic and sexual violence in Iran.
Advocacy groups and survivors have long argued that opaque judicial processes allow politically connected offenders to evade serious consequences.
Past cases echo similar pressures
The Islamic Republic has faced earlier allegations of interference in sexual-abuse cases involving figures.
A former provincial Islamic guidance official, Reza Seghati, received only a flogging sentence after a court classified his same-sex encounter in 2023 as “incomplete,” a decision critics said reflected extra-judicial pressure.
Another notable case involved Saeed Toosi, a prominent Qur’an reciter linked to the Supreme Leader’s office, whose accusers said judicial proceedings collapsed under political influence.
Abedi previously held positions in other religious foundations, including the Ghadir International Foundation, and in public statements had described the IIDO as an institution “serving Islam” and “affiliated with the leader.”
The organization identifies the promotion of what it calls “pure Islam” as its mandate and plays a central role in enforcing the compulsory hijab and state-endorsed social norms.
Transparency concerns
Although many sexual-violence cases in Iran remain confidential, available reports suggest incidents involving women and children have risen in recent years.
Activists say survivors often lack safe reporting channels and face family pressure and social stigma, while state bodies have at times prioritized institutional reputation over accountability.
The latest allegations highlight the structural obstacles confronting survivors who seek justice and the enduring role of secrecy in shielding powerful offenders.
Rouhani told former ministers and senior officials that Iran had entered a prolonged period of strategic uncertainty following the 12-day confrontation, arguing that the absence of clear deterrence has left the country exposed to regional pressures and foreign threats.
Rouhani said that “after five months have passed since the 12-day war, we are still in a situation of neither war nor peace, and there is no sense of security in the country. Whether actual security exists or not is another matter.”
He added that “when people do not feel secure, talking about economic growth, lowering inflation or attracting investment has little meaning. This feeling of insecurity – psychological insecurity, social insecurity, intellectual insecurity, mental insecurity – exists.”
He said national security in any country rests on deterrence and on stopping adversaries from initiating conflict.
Rouhani tied Iran’s own shortfalls in deterrence to regional instability, saying neighboring states still rely heavily on the United States and Israel for security. He said Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan do not control their airspace or security environments in ways that would limit hostile activity, and that this has reduced Iran’s strategic buffer zone.
“Unfortunately, we do not currently have broad regional deterrence. Our neighboring countries – Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan – are, unfortunately, operating in environments largely shaped by the United States and Israel.”
He warned that this landscape has created what he described as unusually free access for Israel, saying “Israel moves up to our borders in undefended and open airspace” and “the sky up to Iran has become completely safe for the enemy.”
Rouhani said national cohesion and accurate assessments of Iran’s own capabilities remain essential for maintaining deterrence. He cautioned against overestimating Iran’s military or technological strengths and said misjudging adversaries could lead to strategic miscalculations.
Rouhani said renewed diplomacy remains essential even if political negotiations are difficult. “In politics, a complete dead end is very rare. We must make extra efforts to resolve issues.”
He said avoiding a renewed conflict ultimately rests with Iran, adding “whether war happens again is in our hands.”