Tehran, Iran – Iranian officials have accused professional skaters of competing abroad for not adhering to the country’s mandated hijab rules, amid protests sparked by the death of Mercer Amini.
Protests erupted at the end of the second month after Amini, 22, died in custody of the country’s so-called morality police after being arrested for not adhering to a mandatory dress code. It’s getting closer.
On Sunday, Niloufar Mardani, a member of Iran’s national speedskating team for years, stepped onto the podium in Turkey without wearing a headscarf to receive the first place award. competition abroad.
Photos circulating on social media of Mardani on the podium in Istanbul also showed her wearing a black shirt with the word ‘Iran’ on it.
In a brief statement, Iran’s sports ministry emphasized “upholding Islamic values in sports competition” and said Mardani had never competed in ministry-approved attire.
“This player has not been a member of the Iranian national team since last month and has attended this competition as part of his personal travel without the necessary permission,” the statement said, adding that the Iranian national team did not participate in the tournament. .
Last month, professional rock climber Ernaz Rekavi made headlines around the world when he represented the Iranian national team at an international competition in South Korea without wearing a headscarf.
When her plane landed in Tehran, a crowd had gathered to welcome her early in the morning. He said there was a “caution” problem.
The hijab issue has been featured prominently in the country’s ongoing protests, with videos online showing some women burning their veils and cutting their hair.
But male athletes have also been making headlines in recent weeks, as soccer players have repeatedly refused to celebrate after scoring goals in their country’s league matches.
Iran’s beach soccer national team member Saeed Piramon cut his hair after scoring Iran’s winning goal in the final match against Brazil on Sunday in an international tournament in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). I lifted up and imitated to cut my hair. The symbolic move appears to have been aimed at supporting the protests.
Piramon and other members of the national team refused to sing along to the national anthem at the start of the match, and to celebrate by lifting the world champion’s trophy at the end of the match.
With many fans chanting anti-establishment slogans inside the stadium and continuing to do the same outside after the game, the Iranian government’s official newspaper told the UAE that not stopping the crowd was “an act of hostile political action.” result,” he warned. chant.
Iran’s beach soccer federation on Monday vowed to take action against “those who fail to uphold professional ethics and sporting ethics” in line with its rules. was forbidden to
Iran’s upcoming participation in the FIFA World Cup in Qatar has also sparked controversy, with Ukraine and some others calling for the Iranian team to be sacked, but that is highly unlikely to happen.
“Give me an example”
Protests continue despite strict internet restrictions and a crackdown by security forces.
More than 1,000 indictments have been issued against people identified as leaders of what officials called “riots” in various states, according to law enforcement. Supreme Court Chief Justice Gollum Hossein Mohseni Ejay has ordered the court to pursue the case expeditiously.
Earlier this week, 227 of the 290 members of the Iranian parliament signed a statement read out in a public session, vowing to “lead by example” and “moharebeh” (which literally means “waging war against God”). ) to deal with people involved in .
Several “mobsters” were charged with mohalebeh and could face the death penalty at the first public trial held earlier this month.
At a news conference on Tuesday, Justice spokesman Masood Setaeshi also pledged a response “to set an example and deter” the suspects.
Teenagers and young people were arrested during the protests, but the exact number of those arrested and how many were killed is unknown. said it was.
Setaesi also said a “final decision” was nearing in the case of two female journalists working for local newspapers, Niloufar Hameddi and Elahemohamedi, who were arrested after covering Amini’s death and her funeral.
They were charged with “conspiracy to act against national security” and “propaganda against the regime” after they said earlier this month that Iran’s intelligence services were trained by the CIA.
Earlier this week, the country’s Minister of Tourism and Culture, Ezatra Zargami, discussed the issue of the arrest of teenagers from the perspective of interrogators who questioned those arrested during the “riots”.
“he [the interrogator] I have interrogated major politicians all my life, but the hardest part was interrogating hundreds of people arrested in the streets. I didn’t understand what they were saying and they didn’t understand what I was saying.”
