Media reports say dissident Iranian film director Mohammad Rasoulof has been released from prison, more than six months after he was taken into custody for criticizing the government.
The AP Monday cited pro-reform newspaper The Shargh, associated with Iran’s reform movement.
The award-winning Rasoulof was detained in July after facing accusations he encouraged protests after a building collapsed in the city of Abadan last May.
In January, other media reports quoted Rasoulof’s lawyer as saying the director had been released for two weeks due to health reasons.
There has been no official comment, according to AP.
Two months after he was detained, 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian Mahsa Amini was arrested for allegedly violating the country’s strict dress code imposed on women. Her death in the custody of the morality police sparked widespread protests. Many of the protests have turned deadly.
Rasoulof’s anti-death penalty film, "There Is No Evil,” won the Golden Bear award at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2020. Rasoulof did not accept the award in person since he was not allowed to leave Iran.
Earlier this month, another director, Jafar Panahi, was released from prison on bail after starting a hunger strike. Reports say he was arrested in July after attending a court hearing for Rasoulof.
Some information provided by the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse.
