Iranian director Jafar Panahi, who was invited to be on the jury at Cannes, is obviously not present, due to his imprisonment. A chair has been left open for him at Cannes, a clear statement of solidarity and support of the absent director. Abbas Kiarostami made a powerful statement in support of Panahi while at Cannes (to add to the open letter he wrote to the officials in Iran following Panahi’s imprisonment). There has been little to no word of Panahi for two months. On May 3, some of the biggest names in Hollywood signed a petition calling on Iran to free Panahi. Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Musavi went to visit Panahi’s family (photos here), part of a push from opposition leaders to show solidarity with those imprisoned in the roundup.
And then yesterday came the horrible news that Panahi has gone on hunger strike.
He released a statement to Abbas Baktiari, director of Pouya Cultural Center, and it has been posted on the Facebook group Free Jafar Panahi. I am devastated by this news.
Declaration of Jafar Panahi
I hereby declare that I have been subject to ill treatment in Evin prison.
On Saturday May 15, 2010, prison guards suddenly entered our cell, n° 56. They took us away, my cell mates and I, made us strip and kept us in the cold for an hour and a half.
Sunday morning, they brought me to the interrogation room and accused me of having filmed the interior of my cell, which is completely untrue. Then they threatened to imprison my entire family at Evin and to mistreat my daughter in an unsafe prison in the city of Rejayi Shahr.
I have eaten and drunk nothing since Sunday morning, and I declare that if my wishes are not respected, I will continue to abstain from drinking and eating. I do not want to be a rat in a laboratory, victim of their sick games, threatened and psychologically tortured.
My wishes are :
– The possibility to contact and see my family, and the complete assurance that they are safe.
– The right to retain and communicate with an attorney, after 77 days of imprisonment.
– Unconditional liberty until the day of my judgment and the final verdict
– Finally, I swear upon what I believe in, the cinema : I will not cease my hunger strike until my wishes are satisfied.
My final wish is that my remains be returned to my family, so that they may bury me in the place they choose.
