Since late December last year, worsening economic hardship caused by a currency crash has driven the people of Iran to take to the streets, sparking a wave of anti-government protests across the country. The authorities have responded with a bloody crackdown, resulting in thousands of deaths, including filmmakers and artists.
The Iranian Independent Filmmakers Association (IIFMA) has confirmed that actor and theater director Ahmad Abbasi, as well as director and production manager Javad Ganji, were shot and killed by regime forces while participating in protests in Tehran on the 9th of this month.
In a statement, the IFMA said: “The Islamic regime’s acts of brutality have reached a shocking level. Reports indicate that, in just three days after an unprecedented total internet blackout, the regime used weapons of war to massacre over 2,000 innocent people.”
The IFMA also mentioned a joint statement by directors Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof, expressing their concern over the situation; in addition, it cited a letter co-signed by many well-known Iranian exiles (including director Mohsen Makhmalbaf) addressed to U.S. President Donald Trump, calling on him to “not let the world turn a blind eye once again to another crime.”
The IIFMA further emphasized the need to reconnect Iran to the outside world. The regime had cut off the national internet on the 8th of this month. The association wrote: “We also urge you to ask lawmakers and embassies to open up internet access in Tehran, so that residents near embassies can contact the outside world.”
Source: Apple Online News