Leila Hatami: It is shameful that people can only protest at the cost of their lives

Leila Hatami, a cinema actress attending this year's Berlin Film Festival, expressed her regret and anger over the suppression of protesters during the widespread protests in Iran last December. At the press conference for the film 'Pig,' directed by Mani Haghighi and screened in the competition section of the Berlin Festival, she stated: 'I want to take this opportunity to express my deep anger and regret regarding the recent treatment of protesters in Iran.' Famous Iranian actors rarely take a clear stance on political events in the country, except during times like elections, as Hatami herself mentions, 'this is the first time she is intervening in political matters.' However, the December protests, which swept through about a hundred cities, prompted several Iranian artists to take a stand, including Taraneh Alidoosti and Mahnaz Afshar, who called on security forces to refrain from 'physical confrontation' with protesters. Hamid Farrokhnejad also wrote on his Instagram that 'the government may remain with disbelief, but it will not endure with oppression.' Hediyeh Tehrani, in a longer text, enumerated various social and political disorders threatening Iranian society, writing that after a long time of 'enduring within oneself or pretending to sleep and hoping for tomorrow, inner cries were brought out into the streets.' Meanwhile, Hatami's stance at the Berlin Festival has drawn criticism from some media outlets affiliated with the Iranian government, with Young Journalists Club calling it 'strange' and stating that she supported 'rioters.' Hatami continued her remarks by referring to the deaths of several protesters, saying: 'It is shameful that in my country, people can only protest at the cost of their lives.' Government reports in Iran indicate that at least 25 people were killed and nearly five thousand were arrested during the December protests. Hatami has been seriously involved in cinema since the early 1990s and has acted in 33 films over the past three decades, receiving numerous cinematic awards. Some of her most famous films include 'Delshodegan,' 'Leila,' and 'A Separation.' Her statements at the Berlin Film Festival have sparked a wave of reactions on social media, both in support of and against her. A user named 'Bahar' on Twitter wrote: 'I really wish Leila Hatami and Masoud Shojaei could be multiplied. I wish we had enough honor not to remain silent in the face of oppression and to boldly speak the truth with the platform we have.' On the other hand, opponents have questioned why Ms. Hatami made such statements in front of foreigners, or a user claimed that Hatami's words 'demonstrate freedom in Iran.'