Iran Reroutes Soccer Legend's Family Flight
Facts
- On Monday, Iranian authorities ordered a Dubai-bound Mahan Air flight to reroute and land on Kish Island to deboard soccer legend Ali Daei's wife and daughter, who were reportedly traveling to join him on holiday for a few days trip.
- Iran's official news agency IRNA stated that Daei's wife and daughter hadn't been arrested and were free to return to Tehran, but claimed that he and his family engaged in "backing anti-revolutionary groups and rioters, and calling for strikes."
- Separately, the semi-official Tasnim news agency said Daei's wife was given a travel ban earlier this month for instigating Iranians to take to the streets and allegedly tried to bypass the ban through illegal channels to reach the United States.
- Daei, who played in German Bundesliga and had long held a 109 goals record at the international level, has expressed support for protests that have gripped Iran since the death of Mahsa Amini after her arrest for an alleged violation of the country's strict dress code for women.
- Earlier this month, Iranian security forces sealed a jewelry shop and a restaurant belonging to Daei, reportedly after he shut down his businesses to join anti-government strikes, which have continued for 101 days with hundreds of people dying and thousands being detained.
- CNN reported on Friday that at least 43 people could face imminent execution after being sentenced to death on charges of either rioting against authorities or "spreading corruption on Earth," including soccer player Amir Nasr-Azadani.
Sources: BBC News, Time, New York Times, Al Jazeera, Iran Intl, and CNN.
Narratives
- Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Deseret. Daei's family's deplaning is yet another example of the Islamic Republic's tightening restrictions against dissenters and its intention to frighten tens of thousands who have taken to the streets over the past three months. The autocratic regime is at a loss and is indulging in brutal acts to punish soccer stars serving as ambassadors for their young fans who oppose Iran's authoritarian regime — the West can't remain silent.
- Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Tehran Times. The US and its allies are not qualified to condemn human rights abuses in Iran. In denouncing the Tehran judiciary's decisions, the West is once again exercising double standards. No government in the world would stand idly by while the country's so-called protestors target its national integrity and threaten internal peace. This is an ongoing war, with the Western media cooperating with intelligence agencies and regimes to spread anti-Iran propaganda, blaming the country for the chaos.