Iranian-Canadian campaigns to free filmmaker

Iranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari is urging media and worldwide supporters to keep pressuring the Iranian government for the release of his friend, filmmaker Jafar Panahi.

The acclaimed director, whose gritty portrayals of Iranian society have won him major prizes at international festivals, is a vocal backer of the opposition in the country.

"[Iranian authorities] really do care about their reputation," Bahari told CBC Radio host Jian Ghomeshi on Q.

Bahari, once Newsweek's correspondent in Iran and now living in London, England, believes arresting such a high-profile arts figure will be counter-productive for Iran's government.

"It will cause many young Iranians to follow him [because the authorities] have shown they are afraid of Jafar."

Panahi, his wife, daughter and 15 guests were taken into custody on Feb. 1 from the director's Tehran home. Panahi's wife, daughter and most of the guests were released after 48 hours.

There's been no word about his whereabouts since his arrest. It's believed he's being kept in the country's notorious Evin prison. 

'This is no surprise'

Bahari himself spent 118 days in Evin. He was arrested shortly after the June election while covering the protests on charges of spying for Western intelligence services. He was released after much pressure from governments and journalists organizations.

"[Panahi] vocally supported me while I was in prison. They have been arresting my friends, so this is no surprise."

Bahari predicts the government will charge the 49-year-old auteur with "undermining the security of the regime" and most importantly, "fighting against Allah."

"That's what happened to me the first 2½ months I was in prison. They told I me I would be executed on that charge."

Reports in Iran say the director was taken in because he was making an unauthorized film about the unrest that rocked the country last year after the disputed June 12 re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Panahi's Circle garnered  the 2000 Venice Golden Lion award and Offside won the 2006 Silver Bear at the Berlin film festival. In February, the authorities banned Panahi from leaving the country to attend the Berlin film festival.

Bahari, who emphasizes that there are still 65 journalists being held in prison in Iran, said authorities there are trying to make an example of his friend.

"They are scared of democratization because of the influence of the internet and satellite communications," points out Bahari. "They arrest people like Jafar, like me, to teach a lesson to others."