Iranian authorities detained one of the country’s most well-known actresses after she expressed support for anti-government protesters.

Taraneh Alidoosti was arrested on suspicion of “spreading falsehoods” about the country’s protest movement, according to state media.

She condemned the execution of a man for his involvement in the protests in an Instagram post last week.

Ms Alidoosti is best known for her performance in the Academy Award-winning film The Salesman.

In her post, the 38-year-old took aim at some international organizations for failing to speak out against Mohsen Shekari’s execution.

Authorities hanged him after accusing him of being a “rioter” who blocked a major road in Tehran in September and injured a member of a paramilitary force with a machete.

“Mohsen Shekari was his name. Every international organization that stands by and does nothing is a disgrace to humanity “She penned a letter.

She was arrested by police for failing to provide “any documents in line with her claims,” according to a post on the Telegram account of the state news agency IRNA.

Her Instagram account, which has over 8 million followers, was recently deleted.

The 38-year-old actress is one of Iran’s most successful. She starred in The Salesman, which won the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film in 2016.

She has, however, become a vocal critic of the Iranian government’s attempts to quell the nationwide unrest sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody in September.

She gained attention in November after posting an image of herself without a headscarf on Instagram to show solidarity with the protests.

Since the 1979 revolution, the protest movement has become one of the most serious challenges to the Iranian regime.

Authorities have already executed two men after they were found guilty of “moharebeh” – roughly translated as “enmity against God”. Under Iranian law, the crime is defined as “creating public insecurity” with a weapon by threatening lives or property.