Alireza Jahanbakhsh has made a statement against the Iranian government via Instagram. The 29-year-old winger’s home country has been unsettled for months because of the persecution of women who do not cover their heads properly. Recently, a young woman had to pay for this with death, as a result of the conservative and religious policy in the strict Islamic country.
In Iran there are fierce protests against this policy and the internationals are now also taking action. Before the exhibition game with Senegal (1-1), Jahanbakhsh and his teammates already took to the field in black jackets as a symbol of the fight against violence and censorship in Iran. Meanwhile, the Iranian internationals have set up an action through the social media channels, which symbolically go black.
Jahanbakhsh, one of Iran’s most popular players with over 1.8 million followers on Instagram, has also shared an extensive text on his page. The Feyenoord player speaks of ‘bitter and painful days’ for Iran and indicates that he is not actually allowed to write anything on social media. Jahanbakhsh writes that he is now doing so to stand behind his compatriots. “These people should be treated with more dignity and respect.”
“No unconventional behavior or violence will be forgiven. I will always be on the side of the dear people of Iran’s history,” Jahanbakhsh continues. “The right side of history is the side of the precious people in my country.” Then Jahanbakhsh closes with a condolence to the deceased woman’s family. According to the NOS Ali Karimi, a former Iran international, faces prosecution for his support of the protests.