Amir Nasr, the Iranian soccer star, stares down the barrel as he faces execution. Amir Nasr was arrested by Iranian authorities for participating in a women’s rights campaign in Iran. The campaign was conducted against the backdrop of Mahsa Amini’s death. Amir was arrested in connection with the death of Colonel Esmael Cheraghi due to violence during the ongoing protests.
Recently, just ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2022 final, Colombian singer Shakira tweeted in support of Amir Nasr.
Today at the final of the World Cup, I only hope the players on the field and the whole world remembers that there’s a man and fellow footballer called Amir Nasr, on death row, only for speaking in favor of Women’s rights. pic.twitter.com/VdMicGVaml
— Shakira (@shakira) December 18, 2022
On November 17, Colonel Cheraghi and two Basij militia members died in Iran. The Iranian authorities released a video three days later, which showed three ‘confessions’ taking the blame for the death of Colonel Cheraghi. Although the names of the confessors were not released by the authorities, they claimed that one of the confessors bore an uncanny resemblance to the soccer star. The authorities accused Amir Nasr of committing ‘moharebeh’, which in Arabic means ‘Waging War against God’. ‘Moharebeh’ is a crime punishable by death in Iran.
According to reports, the soccer star’s family was threatened by the Iranian authorities not to disclose Amir’s arrest. The authorities warned that if the family did anything to the contrary, Amir would face the most severe punishment possible. However, Amir Nasr’s arrest was confirmed later by the director of his former club on an Instagram post.
Amir Nasr’s achievements in soccer
Born on 7th February 1996, Amir Nasr started his youth football career at Sepahan FC. In 2015, Amir joined the Tehran-based club Rah Ahan, where he used to play as a left-back. Amir joined the Persian team Tractor FC a year later, playing in the Persian Gulf Pro League.
However, in 2017, Amir suffered an ACL injury which had him sidelined for more than a year. Amir has not played a professional game since November 2017.
Fans react to Shakira’s Tweet before Argentina’s win
Just minutes before the FIFA World Cup 2022 final between Argentina and France kicked off, Shakira tweeted a post in support of Amir Nasr. She said that she wanted the whole world to remember the tragedy and the plight of the Iranian soccer star, and wanted everyone to remember him.
Fans have appreciated Shakira’s tweet, praising her for raising her voice against Nasr’s arrest. Here’s a look at what the fans said regarding Shakira’s tweet.
Thank you for using your voice and platform to bring light to world issues that need attention! One of the countless reasons you’ve been one of the most down to Earth artists since 1996. 👏🏻
— Brian Vinik (@rpvee) December 18, 2022
SAY IT LOUDER QUEEN! 🗣️🗣️🗣️
— WWSHAK (@WWSHAK) December 18, 2022
Thank you for using your platform to bring light to this horrible situation 😢
— Tiffany Bajrami (@TiffanyBajrami) December 18, 2022
Albeit, this is not the first time a soccer star has been arrested for raising their voice against the Iranian authorities. Players like Voria Ghafouri, Parviz Broumand, Ali Kareem have been arrested by them. Even Iran’s greatest soccer player, Ali Daei, was not spared from their wrath.