Iranian Kurdish footballer released from jail

UPDATE

The Iranian Kurdish footballer jailed last week has been released on bail, along with another former member of the country’s national team. Iranian authorities announced the release of Voria Ghafouri and Parviz Boroumand yesterday.

The Iranian Kurdish player, Voria Ghafouri, was arrested on November 24 for “insulting the national soccer team and propagandising against the government,” Iranian media reported. This was after he spoke out against authorities’ violent suppression of protests in Kurdish areas. He had also expressed sympathy for the family of Mahsa Amini, a young woman killed by police for allegedly wearing her headscarf improperly.

Boroumand, a retired goalkeeper, was arrested earlier this month on charges of participating in protests in Tehran. He was accused of damaging property.

Iran’s judiciary announced the release of two men without elaborating, the Associated Press reported. Their release was announced hours before Iran’s match against the US.

After he was released, Ghafouri wished the national team good luck in the match. FIFA President Gianni Infantino said he was “delighted” that Ghafouri had been released.

The judiciary also said that it had released over 1,000 detainees in recent days.

This news comes after it was reported yesterday that Iranian authorities had threatened the families of its national football players with imprisonment and torture, according to a source involved in the security of the games.

The world continues to watch as new developments unfold around the situation for Iranian football players amidst the country’s mass uprising.

ORIGINAL STORY

Iranian authorities arrested a former member of the country’s national football team on November 24. Voria Ghafouri was arrested for “insulting the national soccer team and propagandising against the government,” Iranian media reported.

Ghafouri, who was not chosen to go to the World Cup, is a member of Iran’s Kurdish ethnic minority. He recently called for an end to the violent suppression of protests in Kurdish areas.

Ghafouri had also expressed sympathy for the family of Mahsa Amini, a 22 year old woman killed by Iran’s so-called “morality police” after she allegedly wore her headscarf improperly. Amini was also a Kurd, and her murder has sparked mass protests for women’s and Kurdish rights in Iran, as well as for individual freedoms.

Iranian officials have not said whether Ghafouri’s activism was a factor in not choosing him for the national team.

According to the pro-opposition news outlet Iran International, it appeared that Ghafouri’s Instagram story about the national team with the caption “Shameless, Shameless” was taken as an insult by Iranian officials. The outlet noted, however, that Iranian media did not provide clear details on what Ghafouri had said that was insulting.

Iranian footballers have been in the spotlight lately. Last week, Iran’s national football team declined to sing its national anthem at the FIFA World Cup in a move that appears to be a display of solidarity with their fellow countrymen protesting.

Before the match against England, the Iranian players stood silent as their national anthem was played before the game kicked off.

The team’s captain made another statement of solidarity with protesters at the cup, saying…

“I want to say condolences to all the grieving families in Iran… we want them to know we are with them and by their side and share their pain.”

Some Iranians criticized the team’s actions as “too little, too late,” saying the team should have refused to play at the World Cup altogether. Iranian-British comedian Omid Djalili noted that the players had “bowed to the terrorists” when they met with Iranian President Raisi.

Time will tell what Voria Ghafouri’s fate will be.