Celebrities demand release of Iranian actor Taraneh Alidoosti

Open letter signed by Emma Thompson, Mark Rylance and Steve McQueen expresses outrage at Oscar-winner's arrest

Film stars, playwrights, novelists and directors from across the world have rallied to the defence of the Iranian actor Taraneh Alidoosti, calling for her immediate release from the infamous Evin prison in Tehran.

The Oscar-winning actor was arrested at her home on Saturday and has since told her family she is being detained in Evin. She has been asked to explain Instagram posts in which she denounced the Iranian government for imposing the death penalty on protesters. She had posted a picture of herself in which she was not wearing the hijab and holding a piece of paper reading women, life, freedom" - the slogan that has come to encapsulate a nationwide protest movement.