Mehdi Mahmoudian, the Academy Award nominated co-screenwriter of Jafar Panahi’s “It Was Just An Accident,” which is nominated for two Oscars, including Best Original Screenplay and Best International Feature, was arrested in Tehran yesterday after signing a statement condemning the actions of Ali Khameni, the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Two other co-signatories of the statement, Vida Rabbani and Abdullah Momeni, were also arrested. The 17 signatories included Jafar Panahi, Mohammad Rasoulof, the director of the Academy Award-nominated film “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,“ Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Narges Mohammadi, and Nasrin Sotoudeh, winner of the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. At this time, there is no confirmed information about the arresting authority or the charges against those detained.
Jafar Panahi’s “It Was Just An Accident“ was co-written by Panahi, Mahmoudian, Nader Saeiver, and Shadhmer Rastin. Each of the screenwriters is a current Academy Award nominee for Best Original Screenplay at the 98th Academy Awards, which will take place in Los Angeles on March 15th. The film is also nominated for Best International Feature Film.
“It Was Just An Accident“ has emerged as one of the most acclaimed films of the year since winning the Palme d’Or at Cannes in May 2025. Jake Coyle of Associated Press called Jafar Panahi “one of the most courageous filmmakers on the planet.“ Manohla Dargis of The New York Times called the film “essential viewing.“ The film has won prizes from top film critics groups, including the New York Film Critics Circle, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, and the National Society of Film Critics, and was nominated for the Golden Globes and the Critics’ Choice Awards. “It Was Just An Accident“ also won three Gotham Awards, including Best International Film, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay.
Statement From Academy Award® Nominee Jafar Panahi On Mehdi Mahmoudian’s Arrest
“I met Mehdi Mahmoudian in prison. From the very first days, he stood out—not only because of his calm demeanor and kind conduct but also because of a rare sense of responsibility toward others. Whenever a new prisoner arrived, Mehdi would try to provide them with basic necessities and, more importantly, offer reassurance. He became a quiet pillar inside the prison—someone inmates of all beliefs and backgrounds trusted and confided in.
We spent seven months behind bars together. A few months after his release, while I was working on the screenplay for “It Was Just An Accident,“ I asked him to help refine the dialogue. His nine years of imprisonment had given him direct, lived knowledge of the judicial system and prison life. Also, his extensive fieldwork in human rights had made him a reliable and authoritative source for consultation.
I remember during the shooting of “It Was Just An Accident,“ we filmed the thirteen-minute shot of tying the interrogator to a tree one night, from dusk to dawn, but it didn’t turn out right. The following night, I brought Mehdi to the set to help, drawing on his understanding of interrogators and the fine details we needed to get right. That night, with Mehdi’s help, we finally succeeded in capturing the shot.
Forty-eight hours before his arrest, we spoke on the phone and then exchanged a few messages. I sent him my last message at four in the morning. By noon the next day, there was no reply. I grew worried and contacted mutual friends; none of them had heard from him. A few hours later, BBC Persian officially announced that Mehdi Mahmoudian, along with Abdollah Momeni and Vida Rabbani, had been arrested.
Mehdi Mahmoudian is not just a human rights activist and a prisoner of conscience; he is a witness, a listener, and a rare moral presence—a presence whose absence is immediately felt, both inside prison walls and beyond them.“ — Jafar Panahi
The Statement By 17 Activists That Led To The Three 3 Arrests
“Khamenei Is Responsible for These Horrific Times in Iran
Honorable, courageous, and grieving people of Iran,
The mass and systematic killing of citizens who bravely took to the streets to bring an end to an illegitimate regime constitutes an organized state crime against humanity. The use of live ammunition against civilians, the killing of tens of thousands, the arrest and persecution of tens of thousands more, the assault on the wounded, the obstruction of medical care, and the killing of injured protesters amount to nothing less than an assault on Iran’s national security and a betrayal of the country.
The primary responsibility for these atrocities lies with Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, and the repressive structure of the regime. This authoritarian apparatus has relied on mass killings to ensure its survival while ignoring the basic and inalienable rights of citizens—including the fundamental right to seek change in the political system. The systematic labeling of protesters as “seditionists,” “rioters,” “vandals,“ or “terrorists affiliated with enemies“is a deliberate attempt to deny the Iranian people their basic right to self-determination.
The bitter experiences of recent decades have demonstrated that the principal obstacle to rescuing Iran from its current crisis is Ali Khamenei and the regime of religious despotism he leads. Each day this regime remains in power, it deepens society’s collapse, spreads death and destruction, and drives the country further toward irreversible ruin. For years, Iran has been trapped in crises caused by ill-conceived confrontational policies, and today, the risk of war—resulting directly from the continuation of this regime—looms over the nation more than ever.
At this critical historical moment, when the future of Iran is darker than at any other time, we reaffirm the urgent necessity of justice for those killed and the immediate release of all political prisoners. While we recognize that unchecked power does not willingly submit to change, we believe that the only path to saving Iran lies in the prosecution of all those who ordered and carried out acts of repression and in bringing an end to the un-republican and inhumane ruling regime.
We call for the formation of a broad national front to organize a referendum and establish a constituent assembly, enabling all Iranians of all political beliefs to participate in a democratic and transparent process to determine their political future. We warn that failure to pursue this path will condemn Iran to a devastating cycle of violence. May the sun of freedom rise over our people and our homeland.”
- January 28th, 2026
Signatories:
Ghorban Behzadian-Nejad; Jafar Panahi; Amirsalar Davoudi; Vida Rabbani; Mohammad Rasoulof; Hossein Razagh; Nasrin Sotoudeh; Abolfazl Ghadyani; Hatam Ghaderi; Abbas Sadeghi; Manzar Zarrabi; Nargess Foundation; Mehdi Mahmoudian; Saeed Madani; Abdollah Momeni; Mohammad Najafi; Sedigheh Vasmaghi
What do you think of this news? Have you seen “It Was Just An Accident” yet? If so, what do you think of it? Please let us know in the comments section below or on our X account.
