Watchdog

A group of Iranian film directors and artists has written an open letter to the government demanding the "unconditional release" of prize-winning filmmaker Jafar Panahi, RFE/RL's Radio Farda reports.

Panahi, 49, was arrested at his home on March 1 along with family and friends in the ongoing crackdown on opposition activists begun after Iran's disputed presidential election in June. The others were later released.

Netherlands-based filmmaker Reza Alamehzadeh told RFE/RL that Panahi had always criticized censorship in Iran. Panahi openly expressed support for Iran's Green Movement as the jury president of the Montreal World Film Festival in September.

"His guilt is that of millions of Iranians who are seeking democracy, which is unforgivable in the eyes of the Islamic republic regime," said Alamehzadeh.

Panahi's family has been barred from visiting him in prison. The charges against him are unclear.

Panahi is one of Iran's most famous filmmakers and has won numerous awards, including the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival and the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.

Police in Russia's Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula are investigating a video that appears to show the violent killing of several men, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports.

The video -- which shows the executions of several men who appear to be from the Caucasus region -- was on the website of the SKTV cable-television station.

A 20-year-old student at a technical college in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky has reportedly confessed to posting the video on the website. Police have ordered him to remain in the city while the incident is investigated.

Police searched the student's apartment and confiscated his computer's hard drive. SKTV's offices were also searched and the computer with the video was confiscated.

Police also took the hard drives from four SKTV clients who had downloaded the video to their computers.

Officials in the Investigative Department of the Prosecutor-General's Office in Kamchatka told RFE/RL that an investigation into "igniting hatred" and the "humiliation of human dignity" has been launched.

Local officials said they may search the homes of more people connected to SKTV.