Oscar-nominated screenwriter of Iranian drama 'It Was Just an Accident' arrested in Tehran
Source: AP
By JAKE COYLE
Updated 12:28 PM CST, February 1, 2026
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One of the Oscar-nominated screenwriters of the Iranian drama “It Was Just an Accident” has been arrested in Tehran just weeks before the Academy Awards.
Representatives for the film on Sunday said that Mehdi Mahmoudian was arrested Saturday. No details on the charges against Mahmoudian were available. But his arrest came just days after Mahmoudian and 16 others signed a statement condemning Islamic Republic leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the regime’s violent crackdown on demonstrators.
Two other signatories, Vida Rabbani and Abdullah Momeni, were also arrested.
Jafar Panahi, the prize-winning director of “It Was Just an Accident,” issued a statement Sunday decrying his co-writer’s arrest.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/it-was-just-an-accident-writer-8dd742715484608c152b817858df2b7f