According to the state-aligned news outlet Tasim, an Iranian-Kurdish footballer has been jailed on grounds of “incitement against the regime” as Tehran tightens down on anti-government protests.
Voria Ghafouri, a defender for the Khuzestan Foolad soccer team, was also detained on suspicion of “dishonorable and disrespectful behavior toward Iran’s national soccer team.”
According to the state-affiliated Fars News Agency, “Ghafouri made some strong replies in support of the recent rioters and was instigating them.”
According to the London-based opposition news site Iran International, the famous player was sacked from his last team, Esteghlal FC, in June after criticizing the government in May for “its handling of protests triggered by a dramatic surge in prices.”
Iranian authorities chastised Ghafouri for his role in earlier this year’s protests, which were spurred by a surge in food prices caused by the government’s decision to withdraw state subsidies, causing expenses to skyrocket by 300% in some cases.
Since September, Iran has been rocked by countrywide anti-regime rallies sparked by the murder of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman held by the country’s morality police for reportedly not properly wearing her hijab.
The protests have brought to light long-standing issues of the country’s Kurdish minority community, which security authorities have targeted in their violent crackdown on dissent in Iran.
According to the Norway-based Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Ghafouri hails from Sanandaj, Iran’s second-largest Kurdish city.
Ghafouri is one of several Iranian athletes who have come out in support of the country’s revolt.
According to Tasnim, Iran’s former national team goalie, Parviz Boroumand, was detained last week for burning public property in Tehran during a demonstration on November 15.
Boroumand, 47, formerly played for Persepolis FC and Esteghlal FC before quitting in 2007 to devote his time to social and humanitarian activities. Prior to his detention, he was vocal in his support for Iranian demonstrators on social media.
Following their detention, former Iranian footballer Ali Karimi expressed his support for Ghafouri and Boroumand on social media. “For the honorable Ghafouri,” Karimi tweeted on Thursday, alongside a photo of Ghafouri dressed in Kurdish attire.
Since late September, Karimi, who now resides outside of Iran, has faced increasing scrutiny from the Iranian regime for publicly expressing his support for demonstrators.
Parmida Ghasemi, an archer, removed her headscarf during an awards ceremony in Tehran in November to show her support for anti-government rallies. Elnaz Rekabi, an Iranian climber, competed in South Korea sans her obligatory headscarf the month before, later explaining that it had fallen off accidentally. It was unclear, however, if Rekabi’s statements were made under duress.
