Status: 09/30/2022 3:00 p.m
Former soccer player Hossein Mahini has been arrested in Iran. Mahini had supported the two-week protests against the regime, which are said to have claimed 83 lives so far.
Former Iran soccer player Hossein Mahini has been arrested in police custody in connection with the protests following the death of a young woman. The 36-year-old was arrested on Thursday evening by order of the authorities because of his support for the protests, wrote the sports portal “khabarvarzeshi”.
Solidarity rallies took place on social media on Friday with the former captain of 14-time Iranian champions Persepolis FC. Several players in the current Iranian national team, such as Sardar Azmoun from Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen, have also expressed their solidarity with the ongoing protests in the country.
Nationwide protests
The trigger for the protests, which have been going on for two weeks, was the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. She was arrested by the vice squad for allegedly violating the strict Islamic dress code. She then died on September 16 under unclear circumstances.
Since then there have been demonstrations in Iran and many other countries around the world. It is the largest wave of protests in the country since the violent crackdown on protests in 2019.
The demonstrators in Iran speak of police violence, the authorities reject this. According to the human rights organization Amnesty International, Iran even deliberately used lethal force to quell the protests.
Allegations of intentional killings
Review of photos and videos show that most of the victims were killed by security forces with live ammunition. Two official documents leaked to Amnesty showed that the security forces had been instructed to crack down.
In one of the papers, the commander of the armed forces in Masandaran province instructed his subordinates to “act mercilessly, even to the point of causing deaths, against any kind of unrest by rioters and anti-revolutionaries”.
Amnesty confirms 52 dead, YOU count 83
Amnesty said the organization has confirmed the deaths of 52 people during the protests, but the total number is likely higher. The activists from Iran Human Rights (IHR), based in Oslo, have now counted 83 fatalities.
Iranian state media reported that a large number of “rioters” had been arrested, without giving any further details. Recently, Iran had also increased the pressure on celebrities and journalists. Activists speak of at least 28 arrested journalists.
Despite the rising death toll and the crackdown by the authorities, videos on Twitter show ongoing protests in a number of cities across the country.
According to Tehran, the West is to blame
In a current hour, the Bundestag also dealt with the situation in Iran. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock confirmed that she wants to advocate sanctions at EU level.
I summoned the ambassador, and on Monday we made it very clear on behalf of Germany at the Human Rights Council in Geneva: Iranian authorities must stop their brutal actions against demonstrators immediately. The death of the people urgently needs to be clarified. And in the group of EU states, I am currently doing everything to ensure that we introduce sanctions.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, meanwhile, said the unrest was orchestrated by hostile Western forces. “The enemies have been making miscalculations for 43 years when they consider Iran to be a weak country that they can rule,” Raisi said.