Because a man (27) in Iran celebrated the elimination of the national team at the World Cup in Qatar, he was killed, according to human rights groups! Mehren Samak was “shot in the head by security forces” after losing to the United States. This was announced by the Oslo-based human rights organization Iran Human Rights (IHR) on Wednesday.
The Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI), based in New York, confirmed that Samak was killed by security forces while he was celebrating. Iran were eliminated from the World Cup tournament in Qatar on Tuesday after losing to nemesis USA. This led to disappointed but also happy reactions at home. Many Iranians have refused to support their national team over the violent crackdown on protests that have been going on in the country for the past two months.
The human rights organization further stated that Samak celebrated in his car in the Caspian Sea town of Bankdar Ansali, honking his horn. The man was then shot. On Wednesday, CHRI released a video of Samak’s funeral. Mourners can be heard shouting “Death to the dictator”. The slogan is directed against Iran’s spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and is often heard in the nationwide protests.
Nationwide protests have been raging in Iran since mid-September. The reason for this is the death of the young Kurd Mahsa Amini (22) in police custody. She was arrested by the moral police and beaten to death for allegedly not wearing her headscarf properly. The authorities are taking action against the demonstrators with increasing severity. According to IHR, at least 448 people were killed by security forces, and the military says more than 300 have died.
