Iranian footballer Amir Nasr-Azadani has been sentenced to execution by the Islamic Republic for “campaigning for women’s rights”.
The world union of professional soccer players FIFPRO said it was “shocked and sickened” by the risk of Iranian player Amir Nasr-Azadani being sentenced to death in connection with protests which have shaken the country for three months. Nasr-Azadani was arrested in the city of Isfahan two days after allegedly taking part in an “armed riot” in which three security agents were killed on September 16, Isfahan’s judiciary chief Abdullah Jafari said, quoted Sunday by Iran’s ISNA news agency.
Jafari said the 26-year-old had been accused of “rebellion, membership in illegal gangs, collusion to undermine security and therefore assisting in moharabeh” — or “emnity against God” — a capital crime in the Islamic republic.
FIFPRO is shocked and sickened by reports that professional footballer Amir Nasr-Azadani faces execution in Iran after campaigning for women’s rights and basic freedom in his country.
We stand in solidarity with Amir and call for the immediate removal of his punishment. pic.twitter.com/vPuylCS2ph
— FIFPRO (@FIFPRO) December 12, 2022
“FIFPRO is shocked and sickened by reports that professional footballer Amir Nasr-Azadani faces execution in Iran after campaigning for women’s rights and basic freedom in his country,” the union wrote on its Twitter page late Monday.
At the World Cup in Qatar, the Iran team stood silent when the national anthem was played prior to the 6-2 defeat to England on November 21, something that was interpreted as a show of support for the anti-government protests in their country.
The Islamic Republic on Monday hanged a man in public who state media said had been convicted of killing two members of the security forces, the second execution in less than a week of people involved in protests against Iran’s ruling theocracy.
Mizan published pictures of the execution at dawn, showing Rahnavard hanging from a construction crane, with his hands and feet bound and his head covered with a black bag.
The U.S. State Department on Monday condemned Iran for Rahnavard’s execution. ‘We denounce this draconian treatment in the strongest terms. These harsh sentences and now the first public execution… are meant to intimidate Iran’s people. They’re meant to suppress dissent,’ State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters at a briefing.
On Thursday, Iran hanged Mohsen Shekari, who had been convicted of injuring a security guard with a knife and blocking a street in Tehran. It was the first such execution after thousands of arrests over the unrest, drawing a chorus of Western condemnation and sanctions.
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