Chakameh Chamanmah After Summons to Court: They Won't Let Me Live in Peace

Chakameh Chamanmah, a theater and cinema actress who returned to Iran from Turkey in July 2023, has reported harassment by intelligence agencies, passport confiscation, and a new summons. On Tuesday, March 5, she published an image of the summons on Instagram, which requested her to appear at Branch 9 of the Tehran Culture and Media Court for self-defense without specifying any charges. According to the summons, the young actress can attend the court with a lawyer, but failure to appear will result in her being summoned. Chamanmah also stated: 'While government officials constantly talk about the return of Iranians from abroad, since the moment I returned to my homeland, I have not been allowed to live in peace for even a day.' She mentioned that 'love for the motherland and longing for home brought me back to Iran,' but upon her arrival at Tehran airport, her 'passport was confiscated' and she was informed that 'you are banned from leaving.' Following that, intelligence agencies have interrogated her multiple times 'without a judicial order.' The actress also reported experiencing 'mistreatment and insulting behavior' at times. She stated that the official summons was issued after she announced that she would no longer attend any sessions without a judicial order. Chamanmah is confident that she 'has committed no crime' and despite the lack of charges mentioned in the summons, she will appear at the Culture and Media Court with her lawyer. Despite promotional statements encouraging artists to return to Iran, officials of the Islamic Republic have previously harassed and, in some cases, detained artists who returned after working abroad. For instance, Amir Hossein Maqsoudloo, known by his stage name Amir Tataloo, was arrested upon entering Iran at the Turkish border and faced the death penalty. Furthermore, Islamic Republic officials had previously claimed they were 'preparing and planning' for the return of Moein, a famous singer. Earlier, Mohammad Mohabian, the son of Habib, a well-known singer who became isolated after returning to Iran and passed away, also described the government officials as 'enemies of art' in an interview with Voice of America, citing the problems they created for his father.