Behrouz Ghobadi, a production manager and short film director, is believed to have been detained by Irans Intelligence Ministry, accused of acting against national security.
His brother, acclaimed director Bahman Ghobadi, has launched an impassioned plea for the Iranian authorities to release Behrouz, who he believes is being detained unlawfully.
According to Bahman Ghobadi, his brother, who suffers from a number of chronic illnesses, was arrested in Iran two weeks ago by the countrys Intelligence Ministry.
He has never been involved in any political or opposition activities, said the director. He was interested in film, served as a production manager in some of my movies, and directed a few short films.
The Iranian Kurd, director of Cannes winnersNo One Knows About Persian CatsandA Time for Drunken Horses, has lived in exile for a number of years.
His 2009 dramaNo One Knows About Persian Catsin part chronicles the struggle of young underground Iranian musicians who are trying to evade government censorship. His latest filmRhino Season, starring Monica Belluci and Behrouz Vossoughi, charts the story of a Kurdish Iranian poet who searches for his wife after being unjustly incarcerated for 30 years in Iran.
According to the human rights non-profit organization International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, the organization has documented several cases of arrest or persecution of family members of Iranian political activists and journalists who themselves live outside Iran.
In all noted cases the family members have not been implicated in any crimes and their summonses, arrests, interrogations, and intimidation have all been aimed at putting pressure on the activists and journalists to stop their professional activities outside Iran.
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