Jailed Iran filmmaker says on hunger strike

PARIS: Acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, who has been jailed for the last six months, said he has begun a hunger strike to protest his continued detention, according to a statement published by his wife on Thursday.

Panahi, whose films have won prizes at all of Europe´s main film festivals, was arrested in July even before the current wave of protests that have shaken the regime started in September. There were expectations last month that the judiciary could order his release, but he remains behind bars in Tehran´s Evin prison. “Today, like many people trapped in Iran, I have no choice but to protest against this inhumane behaviour with my dearest possession -- my life,” said Panahi.