Taraneh Alidoosti

After her release, Alidoosti reported continuing restrictions affecting her career and travel. Her refusal to comply with compulsory hijab in public and professional activities contributed to her exclusion from official productions. In 2025, she reaffirmed that she would never again perform on screen wearing the compulsory hijab.

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Documented

Alidoosti stated in December 2025 that she would never again wear the compulsory hijab when acting in films, a position effectively rejecting the official filming conditions imposed on actresses in Iran. The decision renewed debate over her exclusion from the institutional film industry and the aftermath of "Woman, Life, Freedom".

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Not applicable

Attribution

Personally implicated

Taraneh Alidoosti publicly supported the 2022 "Woman, Life, Freedom" demonstrations, notably by appearing without the compulsory hijab and denouncing the execution of protester Mohsen Shekari. She was arrested by Iranian authorities on 17 December 2022, accused in particular of spreading false information and supporting groups opposed to the Islamic Republic, then released on bail on 4 January 2023.

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Protagonist is the victim

Involved in the Iranian cinema movement against sexual violence, Alidoosti publicly named several men accused of harassment or abuse. Actors Habib Rezaei and Mehdi Koushki filed complaints against her for defamation and dissemination of false information. Persian-language media subsequently reported a favourable outcome for Alidoosti in these complaints in 2023.

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Accused

An Iranian court sentenced Alidoosti to five months' imprisonment suspended after she shared a social media video showing a woman being assaulted by morality police officers over a hijab considered improperly worn. She faced several charges linked to her posts.

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Established by a court

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Directly implicated

After the Revolutionary Guards shot down Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752, Alidoosti announced that she would boycott the Fajr Film Festival and denounced official propaganda. She was subsequently summoned by the judiciary amid pressure against several artists who had distanced themselves from state cultural events.

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Directly implicated

Alidoosti, lead actress in The Salesman, announced that she would boycott the 2017 Oscars ceremony, describing Donald Trump's decree restricting entry to the United States for nationals of Iran and several other countries as "racist". Her gesture became one of the cultural symbols of opposition to the travel ban.

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Personally implicated

The arrest of Mohammad Emami, producer and investor in the successful series Shahrzad, in connection with the Teachers' Reserve Fund corruption case, sparked a campaign demanding that the series' team explain the origin of its funding. Taraneh Alidoosti, the lead actress, was directly challenged in the debate and responded publicly to the criticism. The "No to Shahrzad" campaign sought greater transparency over the money financing the production.

A photograph showing a feminist symbol on her arm — a raised fist inside the Venus symbol — sparked widespread controversy in Iran in 2016. Internet users accused her of endorsing a form of feminism portrayed as foreign or anti-religious, while others supported her. Alidoosti confirmed that she was a feminist and advocated equality between the sexes.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

Attribution

Directly implicated