Pakistan, Oct. 29 -- Oscar-nominated Iranian director Jafar Panahi, 'It Was Just an Accident', has been sentenced in absentia to five years and one month in prison by an Islamic Revolutionary Court in Iran.

Panahi at the time was outside of Iran, promoting It Was Just an Accident, which won the Palme d'Or in Cannes and was nominated for an Oscar in the best international feature category, representing France.

According to Mansour, Mostafa Nili, Jafar Panahi's lawyer, reported that his client's bank accounts were frozen last week. And on visiting the Enforcement of Judgments unit at the Culture and Media Prosecutor's Office, Panahi and his lawyer learned that a new judgment had been issued against him in absentia and without prior legal ...