‘It Was Just an Accident’ Co-Writer Arrested In Iran

Mehdi Mahmoudian, the Oscar-nominated It Was Just an Accident co-writer, has been arrested in Iran for speaking out against the Islamic Republic’s regime.

On Saturday, Mahmoudian was arrested in Tehran along with Vida Rabbani and Abdullah Momeni for signing a statement condemning the actions of Ali Khameni, the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran. There is currently no information about the charges against them.

The 17 signatories included It Was Just an Accident co-writer and director Jafar Panahi, who spoke out against Mahmoudian’s arrest in a statement.

“I met Mehdi Mahmoudian in prison. From the very first days, he stood out—not only because of his calm demeanor and kind conduct but also because of a rare sense of responsibility toward others. Whenever a new prisoner arrived, Mehdi would try to provide them with basic necessities and, more importantly, offer reassurance. He became a quiet pillar inside the prison—someone inmates of all beliefs and backgrounds trusted and confided in.

“We spent seven months behind bars together. A few months after his release, while I was working on the screenplay for It Was Just an Accident, I asked him to help refine the dialogue. His nine years of imprisonment had given him direct, lived knowledge of the judicial system and prison life. Also, his extensive fieldwork in human rights had made him a reliable and authoritative source for consultation.

“I remember during the shooting of It Was Just an Accident, we filmed the thirteen-minute shot of tying the interrogator to a tree one night, from dusk to dawn, but it didn’t turn out right. The following night, I brought Mehdi to the set to help, drawing on his understanding of interrogators and the fine details we needed to get right. That night, with Mehdi’s help, we finally succeeded in capturing the shot.

“Forty-eight hours before his arrest, we spoke on the phone and then exchanged a few messages. I sent him my last message at four in the morning. By noon the next day, there was no reply. I grew worried and contacted mutual friends; none of them had heard from him. A few hours later, BBC Persian officially announced that Mehdi Mahmoudian, along with Abdollah Momeni and Vida Rabbani, had been arrested.

“Mehdi Mahmoudian is not just a human rights activist and a prisoner of conscience; he is a witness, a listener, and a rare moral presence—a presence whose absence is immediately felt, both inside prison walls and beyond them.”