Iranian authorities on Thursday arrested a former Kurdish international soccer player who has strongly supported protests rocking the Islamic Republic since September, accusing him of “propaganda” against the state, Iranian news agency Fars reported.
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Voria Ghafouri, 35, 28 times selected for Iran until 2019, is one of the most prominent figures arrested in the crackdown on the protest movement that has erupted since the September 16 death of a young Kurd. Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini, arrested by the morality police for not respecting the strict dress code imposed by the regime.
Accused of having “insulted and tarnished the reputation of the national team (Team Melli) and of having engaged in propaganda” against the state, he was arrested after a training session for his team “Foolad (steel, in Persian) from Khuzestan, on the decision of the Judicial Authority, according to Fars.
Hengaw, a Norway-based non-governmental organization that defends the rights of Kurds, confirmed his arrest and posted a photo of him in traditional Kurdish clothes, also posted on Twitter by another former Iranian international, Ali Karimi.
“For the honorable Voria”, commented Ali Karimi, who himself supports the demonstrators.
The Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR) estimates that 416 people were killed in the crackdown, while 15,000 were arrested, according to the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran.
NGOs have also expressed concern about the situation in the western Kurdish regions of the country, with human rights groups claiming that dozens of people have been killed there in the past week alone.
“Soutenir Voria”
On social media, Ghafouri, a native of Sanandaj, the capital of Iran’s Kurdistan province, vigorously supported the protests. He also posted a photo of himself in traditional Kurdish attire on his Instagram account and traveled to Kurdish-populated areas of Iran to express his solidarity with the families of the victims of the crackdown.
He was praised by supporters of the protest movement for visiting the young daughter of a woman killed in a protest, with a tablet as a gift.
“Voria supported her people and paid for it. We should also support him and not leave him alone,” Iranian-American activist Masih Alinejad tweeted.
Former captain of Esteghlal, Ghafouri was forced to leave this leading club in July, before the end of his contract, and joined Foolad Khuzestan FC.
Many fans have suggested that the end of his career with Esteghlal was the consequence of his speaking out in favor of previous protests last summer. Others argued that in his mid-thirties, Ghafouri was already too old for Iran’s elite.
His arrest comes as the spotlight in Qatar is on the Iranian team. The players of “Team Melli” decided on Monday not to sing their national anthem before their match against England, a decision interpreted as support for protesters and opponents in Iran.
Portuguese coach of Iran Carlos Queiroz, then explained that his players, swept 6-2 by England, were marked by the political situation in their country and asked that they be left “to play football” .
