Football players’ union FIFPRO ‘shocked and sickened that Iranian footballer Amir Nasr-Azadani is facing EXECUTION in Iran after campaigning for women’s rights’ amid anti-government protests following death of Mahsa Amini
- FIFPRO have demanded that Nasr-Azadani’s punishment is lifted immediately
- Players’ Union claims he faces execution after campaigning for women’s rights
- The 22-year-old played under Welsh legend John Toshack at Tractor Sazi
- Two men have been hanged in less than a week following the unrest in Iran
FIFPRO says it is ‘shocked and sickened’ at reports that professional player Amir Nasr-Azadani is facing execution in Iran and has called for the punishment to be revoked.
There have been widespread anti-government protests in Iran sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died in custody in September having been detained for allegedly failing to follow the country’s Islamic dress code.
A message posted by the official Twitter account of players’ union FIFPRO on Monday said: ‘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.
FIFPRO says professional player Amir Nasr-Azadani (above) is facing execution in Iran
‘We stand in solidarity with Amir and call for the immediate removal of his punishment.’
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.
The 22-year-old played under Welsh legend John Toshack at Iranian club Tractor Sazi
‘Majid Reza Rahnavard was hanged in public in (the holy Shi’ite city of) Mashhad this morning… He was sentenced to death for ‘waging war against God’ after stabbing to death two members of the security forces,’ the judiciary’s Mizan news agency reported.
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.
There have been protests around the world following the executions in Iran
Mohsen Shekari was hanged on Thursday following thousands of arrests in Iran
‘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.
Amnesty International has said Iranian authorities are seeking the death penalty for at least 21 people in what it called ‘sham trials designed to intimidate those participating in the popular uprising that has rocked Iran’.
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