Iranian film director goes on hunger strike in prison

Jafar Panahi, whose films have thrilled critics and won numerous international prizes, issued a statement saying he will refuse food and medicine “in protest against the extralegal and inhumane behaviour of the judicial and security apparatus” (Allstar Picture Library/Alamy/PA)

An Iranian director arrested last summer — weeks before his latest film was released to widespread acclaim — has gone on hunger strike to protest his continued detention amid more than four months of anti-government protests.

Jafar Panahi, whose films have thrilled critics and won numerous international prizes, issued a statement saying he will refuse food and medicine “in protest against the extralegal and inhumane behaviour of the judicial and security apparatus”.