Iranian screenwriter Mehdi Mahmoudian was arrested in Tehran on Feb. 1, 2026, for condemning the government, days before the Oscars.

Iranian screenwriter Mehdi Mahmoudian, co-writer of the Oscar-nominated film "It Was Just an Accident", was arrested in Tehran on February 1, 2026, just weeks before the Academy Awards. Authorities have not disclosed the charges, but the arrest followed his signing of a statement condemning Iran’s Supreme Leader and the government’s violent crackdown on protests. Two other signatories, Vida Rabbani and Abdullah Momeni, were also detained. Mahmoudian, a co-writer with director Jafar Panahi, was described by Panahi as a moral figure and prisoner of conscience. The film, inspired by Panahi’s own imprisonment, won the Palme d’Or and is nominated for best international film and best screenplay. Panahi, who faces a one-year prison sentence and travel ban, continues to speak out against the regime’s repression despite ongoing restrictions.