Iranian lead actress Taraneh Alidoosti has reportedly been arrested for posting on social media

Iranian authorities have arrested Taraneh Alidoosti, one of the country’s best-known actresses, after she expressed solidarity with anti-government protesters in a social media post.

The BBC, citing an Iranian state media agency, reported that Alidoosti was arrested on charges of “spreading falsehoods” about the protest movement sweeping the country, state media said. In an Instagram post last week, she condemned the execution of a man for his involvement in the protests.

She is often a thorn in the side of the regime. She previously posted a photo on Instagram without the headscarf, a piece of clothing that is mandatory in the Islamic Republic. It came in solidarity with the widespread anti-government protests sparked by the death in police custody of a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini, for not wearing a headscarf in public.

Alidoosti is the latest member of Iran’s art and entertainment scene to be arrested. The list includes filmmakers Jafar Panahi, Mohammad Rasoulof and Mostafa Al-Ahmad, singer Shervin Hajipour and Tehran-based Kurdish rapper Saman Yasin, who faces the death penalty after being found guilty of “enmity against God” during a court hearing at the end of October. found .

Alidoosti is best known for her role in the Oscar-winning film The seller. The 38-year-old Alidoosti was again in competition at the Cannes Film Festival this year Leila’s brothersand appeared in the film orca.

In her last post, the actress condemned those who did not speak out about the execution of protester Mohsen Shekari.

A message published on the Telegram account of state news agency IRNA said Alidoosti was arrested by police because she “failed to provide any documents to support her claims” on social media.

Your Instagram account was recently deleted. It had 8 million followers at the time.

Despite government repression, Aldoosti refuses to leave Iran. She previously wrote: “I have no passport or residency anywhere except Iran. I will stay and look you straight in the eye like all these normal people do when I scream for my rights.

“I inherited this courage from the women of my country who lived their lives for years, every day with resistance… I will stay, I will not stop, I will stand with the families of the prisoners and killed become and they demand rights.” I will fight for my home, I will pay everything to stand up for my rights and above all I believe in what we are building together today.”

Melanie Goodfellow contributed to this report.