Hedieh Tehrani, a leading actress in Iranian cinema, has been banned from leaving her country and her Instagram account has been shut down for allegedly supporting the protesters.

Previously, a note secretly attached to a gift she sent was published by Iranian photographer Rehaneh Taravati, stating that the actress was given a “warning” by the security institutions of the Islamic Republic.

It read (in Farsi): “It is better to know that neither am I the leader of these people, nor the people whose lives have reached the limit, they do not need to invite me and people like me.”

Tehrani, 50, emphasised: “We are together and know that the only way I can communicate is with the people on the street.”

Her statement comes after widespread protests following the killing of Mehsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who was arrested by the Irshad patrol in Tehran, and many artists and athletes have protested or expressed solidarity with the protesters.

Hedieh Tehrani, 50, has been a household name in Iran since she debuted in the film industry in 1996.

She has won many prestigious awards, nationally and internationally, making her one of the most recognizable artists in Iran.

She is best known for her portrayal of headstrong, driven and often stubborn women.

Whenever she is not taking on a movie role, Hedieh would be doing her best to promote her home country through her photography.

This is the second time that Hediyeh seems to conflict with Iran’s institutions, after her arrest in 2016 for holding an unauthorised gathering and campaigning for Animal Rights in Tehran’s central Lala Garden.

The protest was organised after the increased killings of street dogs as a way to control overpopulation.