India, Dec. 2 -- Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, whose latest feature It Was Just an Accident has been gaining momentum as a major awards-season frontrunner including the Oscars, has reportedly been given a one-year prison sentence, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).

According to a report in People magazine, the organization published a brief update on Monday stating that the 65-year-old director, fresh off his Cannes Palme d'Or win for the film, is also facing a travel ban and additional penalties tied to accusations of spreading propaganda.

"Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court has, in absentia, sentenced Mr. Panahi to one year in prison, two years of a travel ban, and a ban on membership in political ...