At first blush , the biography of Iranian actress Pegah Ahangarani could read very much like my own . Ahangarani is a working actress who supports social causes in her time away from set . The difference ? In October , Ahangarani was sentenced to 18 months in prison for her peaceful activism . In this regard , she is just the latest in a string of filmmakers and actors of Iranian cinema -- including acclaimed filmmakers Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof and actor Ramin Parchami -- to be arrested or sentenced to lengthy prison terms in recent years . Panahi and Rasoulof each were sentenced to prison -- the former for six years and the latter for five -- and banned from filmmaking for 20 years , accused of making `` anti-regime propaganda . '' Parchami , a prominent actor , was sentenced to prison after he was arrested in anti-government protests . Many more have been arrested and jailed . In my role as a spokesperson for Amnesty International USA and as a supporter of various charitable causes including Unlock Iran , a campaign to release prisoners of conscience in Iran , I have never been faced with the threat of intimidation or arrest . Indeed , I can not even fathom that speaking out for the most vulnerable in society and those locked up for peaceful expression and activities would , in turn , be grounds for my own detention and arrest by government authorities . A celebrated and hugely popular actress in her native Iran , Ahangarani first landed on the radar of the Iranian authorities for her open support of opposition figure Mir-Hossein Mousavi , which led to her arrest in July 2009 in the aftermath of a disputed presidential election in Iran . Another arrest in July 2011 followed , as well as a ban on her leaving the country . Now she has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for `` acting against national security and links to foreign media . '' The idea that an actress -- mostly lauded for her performances in more than a dozen films -- somehow represents a threat to Iran 's national security is laughable at best . But in Ahangarani 's case , far from anything humorous , the allegations have actually resulted in the sober prospect of real prison time . Ironically , Ahangarani 's sentence was handed down just a month after the reopening of the House of Cinema in Tehran , which had been unceremoniously ordered to shut its doors during the tenure of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad . Although the reopening was welcomed by many as a delivery of one of the promises that President Hassan Rouhani made on the campaign trail to increase cultural freedoms for Iranians , the reality is that artists such as Ahangarani , rapper Amir Tataloo and poets Mehdi Mousavi and Fatemeh Ekhtesari -- who were arrested in December and later released -- continue to come under fire for their peaceful exercise of creative expression . And it 's not only artists who languish in Iran 's prisons . According to Unlock Iran 's reporting , at least 845 people are prisoners of conscience in Iran , jailed for the peaceful exercise of their lifestyle , beliefs or profession . The list of hundreds includes lawyers , students , bloggers , journalists , labor union activists and political opponents . The crisis is so acute that U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon recently admonished the Iranian government for continuing to jail a large number of political prisoners . And just last month , the mandate of a U.N. expert assessing Iran 's human rights record was renewed for yet another year because of the chronic nature of human rights abuses in the country . Aside from all the reports of abuses , it is an odd thing when your counterpart in another society has experiences that are directly opposite to your own . My human rights activism has been widely met with encouragement and support . Ahangarani should earn plaudits , not only for her cinematic achievements , but also for her humanitarian deeds and her commitment to increased rights and freedoms for all . She should not be intimidated and silenced with the threat of a lengthy prison sentence looming over her head . Ahangarani 's only `` crime '' is that she dared be an agent of change and speak out in support of women and young people . The Iranian leadership is keen to prove that it is ready to engage with the international community , both on resolution of the nuclear issue in ongoing negotiations and renewal of economic ties . In addition to these concerns , human rights should be made an equal priority . A good first step would be the unconditional pardon of the 843 prisoners of rights and the hundreds of others , such as Ahangarani , who are waiting to serve out their sentences . Ahangarani , and all those risking their own freedom to ensure the rights of others , are national treasures , not national traitors .
Actress Sara Ahangarani is actress and activist , as is Iranian - American Nazanin Boniadi . But Boniadi has never been harassed for years , while Ahangarani is going to jail . Boniadi : 845 people are political prisoners in Iran , from all walks of life and careers . Boniadi : Human rights in Iran should be just as important as nuclear issues .