Co-writer of the Oscar-nominated film It Was Just an Accident was arrested in Iran | Iran

One of the writers of the Oscar-nominated film It Was Just an Accident was arrested in Tehran a few weeks before the Academy Awards, after signing a statement condemning Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, for the recent bloodshed in the country.

Human rights activist Mehdi Mahmoudian was arrested on Saturday after his name was added to a statement declaring that “primary responsibility for these atrocities lies with Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, and the repressive structure of the regime.”

Two more of the 17 signatories, Vida Rabbani and Abdullah Momeni, were also arrested. The authorities did not publish any information about the charges against the detainees.

“It Was Just an Accident,” which won the Palme d’Or at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, will compete for Best International Feature Film and Best Screenplay at the Academy Awards on March 15.

The film follows a group of former Iranian political prisoners who grapple with whether to take revenge on a man they believe tortured them in prison.

Mahmoudian is primarily known as a journalist and human rights activist. He met the film’s director, veteran author Jaafar Panahi, in prison.

In a statement shared with The Guardian, Panahi praised Mahmoudian’s “calm demeanour”, “gentle behaviour” and “rare sense of responsibility towards others”.

“Whenever a new prisoner arrived, Mehdi would try to provide them with basic necessities and, most importantly, offer reassurance,” Panahi said. “He became a pillar of calm within the prison – someone who was trusted by inmates of all beliefs and backgrounds.”

After Mahmoudian’s release, Panahi invited him to improve the screenplay’s dialogue, drawing on his nine years of experience behind bars.

“Mehdi Mahmoudian is not just a human rights activist and prisoner of conscience,” Panahi said. “He is a witness, a listener, and a rare moral presence… We feel his absence immediately, both inside and outside the prison walls.”

Large protests against the regime’s handling of Iran’s worsening economic crisis broke out across the country in late December. The regime responded with an internet blackout and severe crackdowns.

The official death toll in Iran, published by the Martyrs Foundation, stands at 3,117 people, including members of the security services. However, networks of medical professionals inside and outside the country estimate that the actual number may exceed 30,000.