SAG-AFTRA Denounces Iran’s Human Rights Abuses and Arrest of Iranian Actor

SAG-AFTRA condemns the arrest by the Iranian government of one of the country’s most prominent performers and a respected member of the international acting community, Taraneh Alidoosti.

Alidoosti, who starred in the Oscar-winning film The Salesman, was arrested for supposedly making “unsubstantiated comments about recent events” after she made a social media post expressing solidarity with protesters and one who was recently executed, and calling on the international community to act.

Alidoosti’s arrest follows death sentences and executions of protesters, as well as the arrests of prominent Iranians, including actors Hengameh Ghaziani and Katayoun Rishi, as the nation ramps up its human rights abuses against its own people. According to human rights activists, almost 500 people have been killed and more than 18,000 arrested since protests began.

We salute the bravery of Alidoosti, Ghaziani and Rishi, and the countless activists who risk everything for the right to live their lives free from oppression. They show us that, even in the face of brutal repression, the human spirit shines.

About SAG-AFTRA

SAG-AFTRA represents approximately 160,000 actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists and other entertainment and media professionals. SAG-AFTRA members are the faces and voices that entertain and inform America and the world. A proud affiliate of the AFL-CIO, SAG-AFTRA has national offices in Los Angeles and New York and local offices nationwide representing members working together to secure the strongest protections for entertainment and media artists into the 21st century and beyond. Visit SAG-AFTRA online at SAGAFTRA.org.