Leili Rashidi's Passport and Belongings Seized at Airport

Ehsan Boroumand, a former television presenter and actress, stated that her daughter, Leili Rashidi, had her passport and other belongings seized at the airport upon returning from a trip abroad. On her Instagram page, Boroumand wrote that Rashidi, a cinema and theater actress, is 'forced into isolation' because security agents confiscated her 'passport, mobile phone, and laptop' this morning at the airport. She explained that Rashidi had traveled to visit her brother and her brother's son and faced such treatment upon returning to Iran. Boroumand added, 'I wish thieves and looters were monitored like this; I wish all our enemies were as dangerous as Leili and her kind.' She also sarcastically referred to recent comments made by the Minister of Culture of the thirteenth government, saying, 'We thank him.' Two days ago, Mohammad Mahdi Esmaeili claimed in an interview published by the Farhikhtegan newspaper that the number of artists who faced government action and bans after the protests of 2022 is not more than 'the fingers of two hands.' He also referred to artists supporting the 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests as 'twenty or thirty individuals' who, according to him, aimed to shut down culture and art in Iran with 'hoots and uproar.' Esmaeili claimed he himself has taken steps to lift the bans on some artists. The Minister of Culture confirmed the ban on more than ten female actors opposing compulsory hijab. Meanwhile, the director of the Film Supervision and Distribution Office of the Ministry of Culture announced last August that actors who appeared in public without compulsory hijab or 'fled' the country are not allowed to participate in any films. The deputy of supervision and evaluation of the cinema organization stated in November 2023 that actors who 'unveiled' cannot act in films due to existing restrictions. Simultaneously, Iranian media reported that actors including 'Baran Kowsari, Vishka Asayesh, Taraneh Alidoosti, Katayoun Riahi, Pantea Bahram, Fatemeh Motamed-Arya, Golab Adineh, Afsaneh Bayegan, Hengameh Qaziani, Pegah Ahangarani, Maryam Bobani, and Shaghayegh Dehghan' have been banned from artistic activities. Two days later, Esmaeili confirmed the ban on more than ten female actors and stated, 'Hijab is the law, and we enforce the law.' During the protests of 2022 and afterward, a significant number of artists from various fields who supported the protesters faced not only bans on their activities but also other actions such as arrests, travel bans, and summons by security and judicial authorities. Several female actors who participated in public events without compulsory hijab were tried in court and received sentences that provoked significant reactions. Other actors have also shared their images without compulsory hijab on social media, with Leili Rashidi being one of them. The seizure of Rashidi's passport is the latest incident in the crackdown on artists, occurring nearly two years after the onset of protests following the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police.