Judiciary Claims: Taraneh Alidoosti is Not 'Banned from Flying', Can File a Complaint

The spokesperson for Iran's judiciary denied reports of Taraneh Alidoosti, a cinema actress, being 'banned from flying', claiming that such a punishment does not exist in the Islamic Republic. Asghar Jahangir stated in a press conference on Tuesday, January 1, that there has been no blockage of her national ID card, which is necessary for domestic and international flights. He also mentioned that if Alidoosti or anyone else has a claim regarding this matter, they can file a complaint. This comes after reports that Alidoosti discovered her national ID was blocked for all flights during her trip to Qeshm. Alidoosti's lawyer, Zahra Minoui, stated that no authority has taken responsibility for the 'flight ban' against her client. Minoui noted that her client has been 'prohibited from transactions' since 2022, which is verifiable, but the flight ban is 'very strange'. Alidoosti is a supporter of the 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests and has faced governmental pressure and judicial actions for opposing mandatory hijab laws. She was sentenced to five months in prison, which has been suspended for five years. Meanwhile, Jahangir's assertion that there is no punishment for flight bans comes in the context of unprecedented restrictions imposed on government opponents in recent years. In another part of his statements, Jahangir expressed ignorance about the detention of Cecilia Sala, an Italian journalist recently arrested in Iran. The Iranian judiciary or other intelligence and military agencies typically involved in detaining foreign nationals have remained silent regarding her arrest. The Iranian government confirmed that Sala, who traveled to Tehran on a journalist visa, has been detained for 12 days, with the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance stating that her arrest was due to 'violating the laws of the Islamic Republic', although no further details were provided. The case is currently under investigation. Additionally, Jahangir described a concert by singer Parastoo Ahmadi as 'an act of delinquency and non-compliance with religious norms in society', stating that the case was opened at the order of the Tehran prosecutor in the 'Security Court'. He labeled Ahmadi's performance as 'a crime', leading to the closure of the caravanserai venue in Qom and the ongoing investigation to identify those behind the scenes. Ahmadi had previously released a video of a concert without mandatory hijab, which gained popularity online before the judiciary took action against her and others involved. Furthermore, Jahangir denied reports of the release of Babak Zanjani, a figure implicated in economic corruption cases, asserting that he remains in prison and is not on leave. This comes amid various reports regarding Zanjani's potential release circulating in economic networks. Zanjani was arrested in December 2013 following a complaint from the Ministry of Oil and was charged with 'corruption on earth', 'disruption of the country's economic system', 'extensive fraud from the National Oil Company', and 'money laundering of two billion euros', with his death sentence confirmed by the Supreme Court in 2016. However, in May of this year, his death sentence was commuted to 20 years in prison with the approval of Iran's Supreme Leader.