Iran arrests two female fans at football match
Iran’s judiciary announced that two female spectators have been arrested during a football match at Tehran's Azadi Stadium as the government's push to ban women from games continues.
Iran’s judiciary announced that two female spectators have been arrested during a football match at Tehran's Azadi Stadium as the government's push to ban women from games continues.
The judiciary said the women were detained during a domestic match between Persepolis and Tractor FC for allegedly engaging in “immoral behavior " but did not specify details or the exact charges they face.
Women have been banned from attending football matches in major stadiums like Azadi since the 1979 revolution, with authorities citing concerns over the stadium environment.
While FIFA and human rights organizations have pressured Iran to lift the ban, access remains highly restricted, the government using the country's strict Islamic laws to enforce segregation in what the UN and rights groups have termed "gender apartheid".
In 2019, FIFA intervened after the death of Sahar Khodayari, known as the "Blue Girl," who set herself on fire after being arrested for trying to enter a stadium disguised as a man.
In 2022, a limited number of women were briefly allowed into domestic league matches in Mashhad, though many were blocked from entering despite having tickets.
In spite of the bans at home, Qatar's World Cup in 2022 saw huge numbers of women turn out to support Iran.
Bijan Kazemi's home was raided by security agents in the western town of Kuhdasht in Lorestan province on Jan. 21, the source added, and all electronic devices belonging to him and his family were confiscated.
Kazemi was allowed to make a quick phone call to relatives.
“Kazemi was transferred from Kuhdasht to Ward 209 of Tehran's Evin Prison after his arrest. Intelligence Ministry agents beat him and are trying to extract a forced confession claiming that the shooter who killed Razini and Moghiseh obtained his weapon from him,” added the source, who requested anonymity for security reasons.
The two judges, Mohammad Moghiseh and Ali Razini were shot dead in Tehran on January 18 at the Supreme Court in central Tehran, in a rare attack on veteran top players in the theocracy. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei led their funeral prayers.
According to Iranian media, the shooter, whose identity has not been revealed, took his own life as he was pursued by security forces.
Since the killings of Razini and Moghiseh, the Intelligence Ministry has arrested several former political prisoners allegedly in connection with the incident. No details have been released on those detainees.
Kazemi was previously imprisoned for two years after an arrest in 2020. He was allegedly affiliated with the formerly armed opposition group, Mojahedin-e Khalq, also known as MEK, according to the Iran Prison Atlas published by the California-based human rights organization United4Iran.
The two jurists, both clerics, had decades-long histories of handing down death sentences and lengthy prison terms to dissidents in numerous cases, and were nicknamed the “hanging judges” by critics.
Moghiseh and Razini were known for their roles in the 1988 mass executions of political prisoners.
During the targeted attack, one of the guards of the Supreme Court’s 39th Branch was also injured, but his identity has yet to be disclosed.
Islamic Republic officials have given conflicting reports over how the killings took place.
“A note left by the attacker indicates that the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK) instructed him,” said Jafar Ghadiani, the Disciplinary Prosecutor for Judges in a statement on January 26.
A newspaper in Iran published a report on January 19 saying only 13 seconds passed from the moment the shooter entered the office to the time he left, during which he fired six rounds in rapid succession.
The deaths of Moghiseh and Razini struck a nerve in Iran particularly among former political prisoners, many of whom described harsh punishments they meted out.
