An Iranian soccer player has been handed a death sentence after he was arrested for protesting women’s rights and the death of Mahsa Amini in the Islamic country.
Iranian police arrested 26-year-old Amir Nasr-Azadani in November in connection with three murders of security personnel, a police colonel, and two militia members, according. Authorities also accused Nasr-Azadani of what they termed as “waging war against God.”
People all over the world are showing their support for the popular soccer player. On Sunday, during the World Cup final between Argentina and France, famous singer Shakira used her social media account to draw attention to Amir Nasr-Azadani’s detention on death row.
The 26-year-old soccer player is among 27 other Iranian nationals sentenced to hang for participating in the protests that have engulfed the country for several months. The first executions by Iran were conducted this month. Three of the hanged individuals were young men, with two of them, Mohsen Shekari and Majidreza Rahnavard, being only 23 years old.
Like many people worldwide who learned about the death sentence, the International Federation of Footballers (FIFPRO) expressed their shock and disbelief at the punishment.
FIFPRO wrote in a tweet on Monday that they were shocked and sickened that Nasr-Azadani received the death sentence because he campaigned for the rights of women in his country and basic freedoms. The Union said it stood in solidarity with Nasr-Azadani and called for the immediate removal of the death sentence.
Other prominent soccer players also called for the executions to end, including former Iranian star Ali Karimi and the goalkeeper for Iran’s World Cup team, Alireza Beiranvand. They used their social media platforms to call for the Iranian government to revoke the sentence and end executions.
Local media quoted the judiciary chief of Isfahan, Asadollah Jafari, who said that Nasr-Azadani belonged to an armed group that operated in an organized manner and whose intention was to fight the basis of Iran, which is an Islamic republic.
Nationwide protests in Iran erupted in September after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in police custody. The country’s morality police detained her for allegedly not tying her hijab well. Witnesses who saw her getting arrested said that the officers beat her up, but the government said she died due to a heart attack.
The protests, which were hugely fueled by the brutal way police treated the protesters, have lasted over three months. Almost 500 protesters, including over 60 children and over 60 security personnel, have lost their lives because of the protests. More than 18,000 people have been arrested and detained by Iranian authorities.