Iranian actor Taraneh Alidoosti arrested after criticism of death penalty

Alidoosti is regarded as one of the most influential Iranian actors of her generation, and her arrest is a sign that the state wants to crack down on celebrities, artists and sports personalities who have used their platform to challenge the regime.

Alidoosti has won multiple awards in her career, most notably when The Salesman, in which she starred, won an Oscar for best foreign film in 2016.

The Tasnim news agency, which is close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, said she had been arrested due to her decision to publish false and distorted content that incited riots and supported anti-Iranian movements.

Fluent in German and English, Alidoosti has also translated books by Alice Munro and Nicole Krauss from English to Persian.

In the latest phase of the crackdown, Iran appears to be targeting celebrities and journalists who they believe are inculcating western values into a young generation.

Aria Jafari is a member of the trade association of press photographers of Iran and, in November 2014, was arrested for photographing the protest gathering of the people of Isfahan against acid attacks and social insecurity. His recent arrest took place in his house in Isfahan.

The verdict is not final and it is possible to appeal. If the sentence is confirmed, a five-year prison sentence will be implemented.

In another blow to judicial independence, Mohammad Ali Kamfirouzi, the lawyer of two female journalists detained after reporting the death of a woman in custody, was himself arrested.

Hamedi, who works at the reformist newspaper Shargh, was detained on 20 September after visiting the hospital where Amini had spent three days in a coma before her death.

According to the latest report of the Iranian Human Rights Organization, which was published on Saturday, at least 469 people, including 63 children and 32 women, have been killed by the security and law enforcement forces of the Islamic Republic since the beginning of nationwide protests.