Le Figaro Actualités1 hour agoWorld2 min readFrance

Actress Elnaz Shakerdoust sentenced to one year in prison in Iran for supporting protesters

Quick Look

Iranian actress Elnaz Shakerdoust was sentenced to one year in prison and two years banned from activity for her support of protesters killed during the January 2026 crackdown in Iran, according to foreign-based organizations.
His sentence was upheld on appeal.

AI-generated summary

Why It Matters

Actress Elnaz Shakerdoust had publicly refused to work in Iran after the bloody crackdown in January 2026, declaring that she would not participate in any celebrations “with the smell of blood”. She had previously denounced the murder of a young homosexual man in 2021, which led to the withdrawal of her message by the Iranian justice system.

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Actress Elnaz Shakerdoust was sentenced to a year in prison in Iran for her support of demonstrators killed during the bloody repression of the protest in January 2026, Iranian organizations based outside the country announced.

The actress' sentence, also sentenced to two years of ban on political, artistic, and online activity, was confirmed on appeal, according to the NGO Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) and the independent media Emtedad, which spoke with the actress' lawyer. The dates of the decisions rendered by the Iranian courts at first instance and on appeal are not known. AFP does not currently know if the actress is in Iran.

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“Smell of blood”

Elnaz Shakerdoust, who has played in dozens of films, said a few weeks after the repression that she would no longer work in her country “with the smell of blood”. “I mourn my dear (dead compatriots), how can there be a festival? I will not take part in any celebrations and I will no longer play any role in this land that smells of blood,” the actress wrote on Instagram in February, as Tehran’s main annual film festival, Fajr, opened.

Tehran bloodily crushed at the beginning of January a vast protest movement that began at the end of December to protest against the rising cost of living. It quickly turned into large-scale anti-government protests that peaked on January 8 and 9. NGOs speak of a repression that has left thousands dead, while the government acknowledges more than 3,000 deaths, but blames the violence on “terrorist acts” orchestrated by the United States and Israel.

Elnaz Shakerdoust, 42, has starred in more than 50 films in a two-decade career, winning numerous awards at festivals in Iran. In 2021, she denounced the murder of a young man by his family in the southwest of the country because of his homosexuality. Iranian justice then ordered the removal of his message published on Instagram, which had aroused indignation in conservative circles.

What to Watch

AI outlook — possibilities, not facts

The actress will remain in detention until the end of her sentence, unless she receives a pardon or exceptional amnesty.
Likely · Within months
International human rights organizations will intensify their calls for his release.
Very likely · Within weeks

Open Questions

Is the actress currently in Iran or abroad?
What are the exact dates of the first instance and appeal decisions?
Will the actress face further prosecution after her release?