Iranian Film Critic Commits Suicide After Being Released From Jail

Iranian film critic and director, Mohsen Jafari-Rad, who had been arrested during ant-government protests a few weeks ago, committed suicide after being released.

Hoshang Golmakani, director of "Film-e Emrouz" magazine said Sunday that Jafari-Rad took his own life.

Golmakani in an Instagram message said that “Our colleague committed suicide by taking pills on Sunday. He was arrested a few weeks ago during the protests in Karaj [near Tehran], while returning home. After two weeks of incarceration, he could finally prove he was not present in the demonstrations, but…"

The director of "Film-e Emrouz" magazine did not provide any further explanation about the issue, and official news agencies like ISNA only reported his death Sunday morning.

Other reports over the past week have spoken of political prisoners committing suicide after release from detention. Some suspect that strong drugs are being administered to detainees that might be causing suicidal tendencies once they stop using them after their release.

Jafari-Rad, 37, had a master's degree in cinema. He wrote for many years in film magazines, especially "Film-e Emrouz".

At the same time, as a journalist and critic, he collaborated with over 20 other publications and had started making short films and documentaries since 2008.

During the suppression of the anti-government protests, which began on September 16 following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody, over 500 have been killed and thousands of citizens have also been arrested. There is no accurate information about their whereabouts and fate.