Two more Iranian filmmakers have been arrested amid antigovernment protests that have erupted in Iran over the death of a young woman who was in police custody for allegedly wearing her head scarf improperly.
Friends of filmmaker and editor Nik Yousefi, who released a music video in support of the protest movement in Iran that went viral, say he was arrested on October 16.
Last week Yousefi said in a tweet that he left Tehran and turned off his mobile phone to avoid being arrested by security agents.
Yousefi also said that the security agents went to his friend's house to arrest him using the private information available in the SnappFood application, but he was not there. Dozens of other users of the food ordering app also warned about the security forces' use of information on it and several other Iranian applications to track and arrest protesters.
Security agents managed to arrest Yousefi a week later at another place.
The security forces have also arrested the Iranian documentary filmmaker Mojgan Ilanlu. Ilanlou, whose arrest was announced on Instagram, had previously published pictures of herself walking on the streets of Tehran without a hijab in solidarity with the antigovernment protests over the death last month of Mahsa Amini, 22, after she was taken into custody by morality police for alleged improper wearing of a hijab.
Since the start of daily protests that have rocked Iran since Amini's death, several Iranian cinematographers and prominent public figures have been summoned or arrested by the authorities, including Jafar Panahi, Mohammad Rasulof, and Mostafa al-Ahmad.
Multiple Iranian celebrities, including soccer star Ali Daei, have been interrogated and had their passports confiscated by the authorities after showing support for the protests.
Noted Iranian actor Hamid Farrokhnejad said on his Instagram page on October 9 that he had undergone hours of interrogation and pressure from security officials because of his support for the protesters.
"I was summoned twice, interrogated for 10 hours, and banned from leaving the country to prove to me that I was wrong when I said that even a peaceful protest is not possible in this country," Farrokhnejad said.