Iranian of the Day

AFP: A Tehran appeals court has upheld a six-year jail sentence and 20-year filmmaking and travel ban against international award-winning Iranian director Jafar Panahi, his family told AFP on Saturday. The verdict, handed down around two weeks ago, has not yet been carried out, the family said. The government-run newspaper Iran confirmed the ruling in its Saturday edition, saying: "The charges he was sentenced for are acting against national security and propaganda against the regime." Panahi, 51, has won a slew of foreign awards for his films. But many are banned in Iran where authorities are unhappy with his portrayal of everyday life in the Islamic republic. One of Panahi's latest productions was a documentary entitled "This is not a Film," depicting a day in his life as he waited to hear the appeal verdict. It was screened at the Cannes film festival in May. Panahi's family said the filmmaker was still free pending the imposition of the jail sentence. Panahi's lawyer, Farideh Ghairat, said: "We have no news. The verdict has not been confirmed to us." >>>