An Iranian appeals court has upheld a one-year prison sentence for popular actress Elnaz Shakerdoost. She was originally sentenced for expressing support for protesters killed during the crackdown on anti-government demonstrations in January.
Shakerdoost has appeared in dozens of films over her two-decade-long acting career. Last February, following the deaths of thousands of people in the authorities’ crackdown on protests, she announced that she would never act in Iran again.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency and the independent media outlet Emtedad reported that a Tehran court rejected her appeal and upheld the original sentence. Citing her lawyer, they further reported that, in addition to the one-year prison term, she has been banned from participating in political, artistic, cultural, and online activities for two years.
Shakerdoost’s current whereabouts are unknown.
In a post made last February, she wrote, “I am grieving for my loved ones; how can there be any festival or celebration in such a situation? I will not participate in any celebrations, and I will never again perform a role on this soil stained with the scent of blood.”
