{"id":1752023,"date":"2022-11-26T06:30:13","date_gmt":"2022-11-26T11:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1752023"},"modified":"2022-11-26T09:49:10","modified_gmt":"2022-11-26T14:49:10","slug":"iran-arrests-ethnic-kurdish-soccer-star-for-supporting-anti-regime-protests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/iran-arrests-ethnic-kurdish-soccer-star-for-supporting-anti-regime-protests\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran Arrests Ethnic Kurdish Soccer Star for Supporting Anti-regime Protests"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Firan-arrests-ethnic-kurdish-soccer-star-for-supporting-anti-regime-protests%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1752023&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"subheading\">Iranian media confirmed the arrest on Thursday of one of the country\u2019s most prominent soccer stars, the ethnic Kurdish player\u00a0Voria Ghafouri, for supporting the ongoing anti-regime protests across the country.<\/p>\n<p class=\"a8d-pre\">Protests erupted in the repressive Islamist state in September after the regime\u2019s \u201cmorality police\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/middle-east\/2022\/09\/19\/protests-sweep-iran-after-morality-police-kills-woman-for-not-wearing-hijab\/\">beat<\/a> a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, to death for allegedly not wearing her headscarf properly. The headscarf, or hijab, is mandatory for women to wear in Iran, purportedly out of deference to Islamic law although the Quran does not require it.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p>The protests have endured for months. Iranian regime officials have responded to calls for the overthrow of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei with disproportionate violence, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/middle-east\/2022\/11\/14\/iran-charges-over-750-for-riots-issues-first-death-sentence-in-mahsa-amini-protests\/\">arresting<\/a> over 700 and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kurdistan24.net\/en\/story\/30036-Iranian-soccer-player-arrested-amid-World-Cup-scrutiny\">killing<\/a>\u00a0nearly 450 people. One human rights group estimates that the confirmed number of arrests is a small percentage of the as many as 18,000 people who may be in police custody for participating in acts of dissent.<\/p>\n<p>Iran\u2019s \u201cTeam Melli,\u201d as the national soccer team is referred to, suffered a dismal debut at the 2022 FIFA World Cup this week, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/middle-east\/2022\/11\/23\/iran-claims-psychological-warfare-by-protesters-caused-embarrassing-world-cup-loss\/\">losing<\/a>\u00a06-2 to England. Iranian state commentators and regime sympathizers blamed the poor performance on the protests, claiming that the players were enduring \u201cpsychological warfare\u201d from Iranians rooting against the team, nicknaming it \u201cTeam Mullah,\u201d and demanding the players speak up on behalf of their people.<\/p>\n<p class=\"a8d-pre\">The players on Iran\u2019s national team have not publicly spoken out against the regime, and accepted a friendly meeting with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi before departing to Qatar, an Islamist dictatorship <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/sports\/2022\/11\/24\/worlds-worst-human-rights-abusers-line-up-to-support-qatar-world-cup\/\">controversially<\/a> hosting the tournament. Prior to their game with England, however, the players conspicuously <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/middle-east\/2022\/11\/21\/iran-team-refuses-to-sing-national-anthem-at-soccer-world-cup\/\">failed<\/a> to sing their national anthem while it played at the stadium, a move that many interpreted as a sign of support for the protests and opposition to the regime. The team played amid audible boos from their own fans, intended as a protest against Khamenei.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<div id=\"attachment_22683458\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Iran-team-World-Cup-anthem.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-22683458\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Iran-team-World-Cup-anthem.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Iran team refrain from singing the national anthem ahead of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 match between England and IR Iran at Khalifa International Stadium on November 21, 2022, in Doha, Qatar. (Sebastian Frej\/MB Media\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The arrest of Ghafouri, who was not on the national team despite his prominent positions in the past on multiple private clubs\u2019 teams, appeared to be a message to those in Qatar to not deviate from the government\u2019s messaging.<\/p>\n<p>The Iraqi-based network <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kurdistan24.net\/en\/story\/30036-Iranian-soccer-player-arrested-amid-World-Cup-scrutiny\">Kurdistan 24<\/a>\u00a0cited two pro-regime Iranian publications, the state Fars News agency and the Tasnim News Agency, as confirming Ghafouri\u2019s arrest. At press time, articles regarding the incident do not appear on either of the outlets\u2019 English-language pages, suggesting the news has been limited to their Farsi publications. Tasnim instead prominently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tasnimnews.com\/en\/news\/2022\/11\/25\/2811797\/iran-beats-wales-to-get-back-on-track\">posted<\/a> on its front page\u00a0an article on Iran\u2019s second match in Qatar, a surprise victory against Wales.<\/p>\n<p>The outlets, Kurdistan 24 noted, said that Ghafouri had been charged with the \u201ccrime\u201d of \u201cinsulting the national soccer team and propagandizing against the government.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"a8d-pre\">Unlike those on the World Cup team, whose lack of singing at the tournament was taken as subtle defiance of the regime, Ghafouri has been openly critical of the Islamists and supported women\u2019s rights and efforts to stop the repression of Kurds in western Iran. Following the eruption of the latest rounds of protest in September, Ghafouri, in solidarity, publicly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2022\/11\/25\/iran-arrests-footballer-ghafouri-for-spreading-propaganda\">visited<\/a> the family of a woman killed by Iranian state security forces and has vocally called on his social media platforms for the regime to respect human rights.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B3\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<div id=\"attachment_22414023\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/AP22296458219712.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-22414023\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/AP22296458219712.png\" alt=\"In this photo taken by an individual not employed by the Associated Press and obtained by the AP outside Iran, Iranians protests the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was detained by the morality police, in Tehran, Oct. 1, 2022. Iran\u2019s atomic energy agency alleged Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022, that hackers acting on behalf of an unidentified foreign country broke into a subsidiary\u2019s network and had free access to its email system. Sunday&#039;s hack comes as Iran continues to face nationwide unrest first sparked by the Sept. 16 death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman in police custody. (AP Photo\/Middle East Images, File)\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">In this photo taken by an individual not employed by the Associated Press and obtained by the AP outside Iran, Iranians protests the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was detained by the morality police, in Tehran, Oct. 1, 2022. (AP Photo\/Middle East Images, File)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Prior to Iran\u2019s victory against Wales in their second match, Iranian state media outlets blamed anti-regime protests and public expressions of support for women\u2019s rights for the 6-2 defeat against England, made even more bitter by\u00a0goalkeeper\u00a0Alireza Beiranvand injuring himself by crashing into a teammate. Some reports indicate that\u00a0Beiranvand, who skipped the Wales match, will return to the field when Iran confronts the American team on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>Iranian national team coach Carlos Queiroz appeared to support the regime\u2019s shift of blame following the England match, barking at Iranian fans who oppose the regime to \u201cstay at home.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt would be much better for them to stay at home. We don\u2019t need them. It\u2019s something the players feel when they are not playing,\u201d he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/middle-east\/2022\/11\/23\/iran-claims-psychological-warfare-by-protesters-caused-embarrassing-world-cup-loss\/\">told<\/a> reporters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"a8d-pre\">Prior to the tournament\u2019s start on Sunday, Queiroz said at a press conference that dissidents were \u201cnot welcome\u201d to support the Iranian team.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B4\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cTo those who come to disturb the team with the issues that are not\u00a0about the football opinions, they\u2019re not welcome because our boys, they\u2019re just simple football boys,\u201d he claimed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIranian players have been under tremendous psychological pressure the past few weeks amid a relentless campaign by hostile forces in the West to de-legitimize them and affect their morale ahead of the World Cup,\u201d the Iranian state outlet PressTV\u00a0<a class=\"x5l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.presstv.ir\/Detail\/2022\/11\/20\/693067\/Team-Melli-World-Cup-campaign-history\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\">claimed<\/a>\u00a0in an article published last week, tempering expectations for their success. \u201cThey have been viciously trolled and abused online under a deep-rooted conspiracy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Protests within the country, particularly in the Kurdish region, have yet to abate. On Friday, Iran\u2019s Islamist Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) \u2013 an official wing of the Iranian armed forces that America has designated a terrorist entity \u2013 announced a new operation in Iranian Kurdistan to prevent the alleged distribution of weapons by Kurdish forces outside of Iran\u2019s borders. The territory of Kurdistan crosses into parts of Iraq, Syria, and Turkey, in addition to Iran.<\/p>\n<p>The operation appears to be the latest step in the Iranian regime attempting to rebrand pro-democracy protests nationwide as a primarily Kurdish separatist movement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe IRGC ground forces are resolutely dealing with the factors of insecurity in the region by strengthening internal forces in the border area of the western and northwestern provinces of the country with the cooperation of the zealous local people,\u201d an IRGC official allegedly claimed, according to the Kurdish outlet <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rudaw.net\/english\/middleeast\/iran\/251120221\">Rudaw<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Rudaw noted that Kurdish leaders in the region have expressed alarm that the regime has responded to the protests by sending \u201ctanks, armored vehicles, artillery, and drones to the Iranian borders.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Follow Frances Martel on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/francesimartel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/francesimartel\/&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1669434601440000&#038;usg=AOvVaw1XfqoTd7SeqqWddTMe0t3Y\">Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/francesmartel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/twitter.com\/francesmartel&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1669434601440000&#038;usg=AOvVaw2qsgNOogjuKppVRs86Rijn\">Twitter.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Iranian media confirmed the arrest on Thursday of one of the country\u2019s most prominent soccer stars, the ethnic Kurdish player\u00a0Voria Ghafouri, for supporting the ongoing anti-regime protests across the country.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1752026,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[547],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1752023","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-bongino-report"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1752023","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1752023"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1752023\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1752026"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1752023"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1752023"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1752023"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}