ژورنال سایت خبری سیاسی ژورنال
PDF-English Journal-4 July 2025-No16
Iranian director Soheil Beiraghi revealed on Instagram that he has been sentenced to four years and three months in prison. Alongside an image of his indictment, he simply wrote: “Because I refused to reproduce lies. That’s all.” He stands accused of “encouraging corruption” and “producing obscene content,” though the verdict remains open to appeal.
Beiraghi’s new film, Bidād, tells the story of a young female singer who, in defiance of Iran’s ban on women singing in public, takes to the streets to sing. The film premiered at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic. Variety reported that the title was kept secret until the filmmakers could safely leave Iran. Key cast and crew—including Amir Jadidi, Leili Rashidi, Sirous Zabetian, Ali Mollagholipour, and Peyman Shadmanfar—also face similar charges, including “propaganda against the regime,” “obscenity,” and “encouraging immoral behaviour.”
Once again, the Islamic Republic has revealed its true face by issuing harsh sentences against artists like Beiraghi and his collaborators. In a system where censorship sustains power, both truth and art become criminal acts—especially when they give voice to women. The ban on female singing is but one facet of Iran’s systemic gender discrimination. When a filmmaker uses the language of cinema to confront this oppression, the regime responds with its full security apparatus. Yet such acts of repression are swiftly met with widespread public solidarity.
The Islamic Republic does not only target political activists; it also suppresses writers, filmmakers, and actors, charging them with “corruption” and “anti-state propaganda” to silence all forms of cultural resistance. But this suppression betrays weakness, not strength. Independent and dissident art continues to thrive—whether in exile or under threat. To remain silent in the face of censorship is to betray the truth.
English journal about the current situation in Iran
Editor-in-Chief: Keyvan Javid
Contact: 00447388575020
E-mail: keyvan.javid1@gmail.com
Editor: Patty Debonitas
