An Iranian man was shot lifeless by the safety forces after celebrating when the USA eradicated his nation’s nationwide workforce from the World Cup, rights teams mentioned Wednesday.
Iran was knocked out of the World Cup by its arch enemy the USA in Qatar on Tuesday night time, drawing a combined response from pro- and anti-regime supporters.
Many had refused to help the nationwide workforce in response to a bloody authorities crackdown on greater than two months of protests sparked by the dying in custody of Mahsa Amini.
Mehran Samak, 27, was shot lifeless after honking his automotive horn in Bandar Anzali, a metropolis on the Caspian Beach northwest of Tehran, human rights teams mentioned.
Samak “was focused immediately and shot within the head by safety forces… following the defeat of the nationwide workforce towards America”, mentioned Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights (IHR).
The New York-based Middle for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) additionally reported that he had been killed by the safety forces whereas celebrating.
There was no rapid touch upon the incident from the Iranian authorities.
In a unprecedented twist, Iranian worldwide midfielder Saeid Ezatolahi, who performed within the US match and is from Bandar Anzali, revealed he knew Samak and posted an image of them collectively in a youth soccer workforce.
“After final night time’s bitter loss, the information of your passing set hearth to my coronary heart,” mentioned Ezatolahi on Instagram, describing Samak as a “childhood teammate”.
He didn’t touch upon the circumstances of his buddy’s dying however mentioned: “Some day the masks will fall, the reality shall be laid naked.”
He added: “This isn’t what our youth deserve. This isn’t what our nation deserves.”
Ezatolahi, distraught on the outcome, had been seen after the ultimate whistle being comforted each by his teammates and the US gamers.
Tense funeral
Iran’s workforce had been underneath intense scrutiny on the World Cup, not singing the nationwide anthem of their first match however doing so in two subsequent ones, amid reviews of stress from the authorities to not present help for the protests.
The CHRI printed a video from Samak’s funeral on Wednesday at which mourners could possibly be heard shouting “Dying to the dictator”.
The mantra aimed toward Iran’s supreme chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is likely one of the essential slogans of the protests that flared after Amini’s dying in custody on September 16.
IHR mentioned that the authorities had refused at hand the physique over to the household, whereas BBC Persian mentioned the funeral in Bandar Anzali had gone forward with out prior announcement and with a heavy safety presence in a bid to keep away from main incidents.
Iran’s safety forces have killed no less than 448 folks within the crackdown on the protests, together with 60 kids underneath the age of 18 and 29 girls, based on IHR.
An Iranian normal mentioned on Monday that greater than 300 folks have been killed within the unrest.
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