Ramin Parchami sentenced to one year in prison

Iranian actor and filmmaker Ramin Parchami, who was arrested during anti-government protests on 14 February, has been sentenced to a year in prison.

The 38-year-old was arrested during protests held in solidarity with the Arab uprisings of Egypt and Tunisia in February 2011. According to Green Movement website Kaleme, until a few days ago, the actor had been held in solitary confinement in ward 209 of Evin prison under the supervision of the Intelligence Ministry. However, he is now being held in ward 350.

“There’s no precise information about Parchami’s case, but it’s been said that the reason for his arrest on 14 February was his insistence to stay in the protest. Plain-clothed agents who had spotted him in the crowd warned him a number of times to leave the demonstrations, but he ignored their words and was arrested in the end,” reported Kaleme.

According to the Committee of Human Rights Reporters, Parchami’s one year jail-term was issued by branch 13 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran under Judge Eslami on charges of “acting against national securiting through taking part in an illegal assembly, attempting to film and disrupting public order.”

Parchami’s trial was held on Wednesday 12 April and his transfer to the court took place “under security measures” and he was seen “handcuffed, with long a beard and a not-so-appropriate appearance while accompanied by a number of policemen.”

Parchami has a master’s degree in directing and acting, and has directed and acted in a number of films and television series. He is also a former editor-in-chief of the cultural weekly Naghsh Afarinan.

Source: GVF