Mehdi Mahmoudian, Oscar-nominated co-writer of the film It Was Just an Accident, was released from an Iranian prison 17 days after his arrest. He was taken into custody in Tehran soon after he signed a statement condemning Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the violent crackdown on protesters. Mahmoudian was freed from Nowshahr prison on Tuesday along with two others, Vida Rabbani and Abdollah Momeni. All three were released on bail. No details about charges against Mahmoudian have been shared yet. Mahmoudian, along with co-writers Nader Saeivar, Shadmehr Rastin, and director Jafar Panahi, is nominated for best original screenplay at the Academy Awards. Their film, a revenge drama inspired by Panahi’s own prison experience, is also nominated for best international feature representing France. Panahi said, “Mehdi Mahmoudian, Vida Rabbani, and Abdollah Momeni peacefully exercised their right to express their views, but the regime responded by accusing them of ‘insulting the Supreme Leader’ and ‘propaganda against the Islamic Republic’.” He added, “For years, such charges have been used as tools to criminalize thought, silence criticism, and instill fear in society. Turning a civil and peaceful act into a national security case is a clear sign of intolerance toward the independent voices of citizens.” Mahmoudian is a writer and political activist who has been jailed before, serving a five-year sentence ending in 2014 on charges of “mutiny against the regime.” Panahi first met him in prison. Last month’s nationwide protests in Iran killed thousands. Global pressure has mounted on the Iranian regime following its harsh crackdown, including demonstrations abroad. US President Donald Trump recently stated that regime change in Iran “would be the best thing that could happen.”