Human rights activists called on football fans to chant the name of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, during the matches in which the Iranian national team will take part in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Protests have been taking place in Iran since September 16 following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, days after she was arrested by the vice police for not following strict dress codes.
Dozens, including security officials, died on the sidelines of protests that raised anti-government slogans, most of which officials considered “riots.” The court also filed various charges against more than 2,000 detainees.
Yesterday, Thursday, feminist activist Negin Shiragai urged fans of 2022 FIFA World Cup football matches on Twitter to chant the name of Mahsa Amini in the twenty-second minute of a match involving the Iranian national team, referring to Omar Amini after her death: with the aim of ” remind the world of what’s going on in Iran.”
And he called on Iranian activist Masih Alinejad, who lives in New York, to also take part in this movement.
“Help us honor the memory of Mahsa Amini and fight this brutal regime,” she tweeted.
The crackdown on protests across the country has killed at least 304 people, including 41 children and 24 women, according to estimates released by the Oslo Human Rights Organization in Iran.
Iranian authorities have employed a number of tactics in an attempt to quell the protests, which have become the biggest problem for the religious leadership since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Many Iranian athletes have expressed support for the protests, causing some of them to get into trouble with the authorities.
In late September, former Iran national football team player Hossein Manahi was arrested after expressing support for the demonstrations on his social media accounts.
With the exception of two players, the Iranian national team refused to sing the national anthem on Thursday ahead of a friendly match against Nicaragua in Tehran, according to a video circulated online.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup starts on November 20 in Qatar. Iran will play England on 21 November, Wales on 25 November and the United States on 29 November.
