Iranian director Jafar Panahi handed new five-year jail term

An Iranian Revolutionary Court has sentenced award-winning film director Jafar Panahi to a new prison term. Al-Monitor reports the sentence consists of five years in prison and the seizure of all his assets, noting that his lawyer provided this information via Nournews without specifying the charges. The court also issued a two-year ban on Panahi leaving the country and prohibited any social media activity, according to Al-Monitor.

The A.V. Club reports the sentence is specifically five years and one month in prison. The director has a history of legal conflict with the Iranian government, including a 2010 arrest for attempting to document protests that resulted in a six-year prison sentence and a 20-year ban on filmmaking. Euronews states this latest ruling follows a December 2025 conviction for “propaganda activities against the regime,” which included a one-year prison sentence and a two-year travel ban.

Brief written by urgent.news from Qatar Tribune, Al-Monitor, The A.V. Club, Euronews — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.