Wed 16 November 2022:
Iranian men’s soccer team manager stated that as long as the protests do not violate FIFA rules, his players are free to express their political views while competing in the World Cup in Qatar.
The remarks were delivered by Carlos Queiroz on Tuesday in Doha, Qatar, during a news conference.
According to Reuters, Queiroz said: “The players are free to protest as they would if they were from any other country as long as it conforms with the World Cup regulations and is in the spirit of the game.
“Everybody has the right to express themselves,” Queiroz continued. “You guys are used to bending your knees in the games and some people agree, some people don’t agree with that, and in Iran it’s exactly the same.”
According to Reuters, Queiroz was involved in a testy exchange with a reporter from British outlet Sky during the press conference who asked: “Are you OK representing a country like Iran at this World Cup that represses the rights of women?”
The Portuguese manager responded, “How much you pay me to answer that question?… Don’t put in my mouth words that I did not say.
Anniversary of lethal 2019 crackdown
Iranian security forces shot dead at least three protesters Tuesday, a rights group said, as demonstrations sparked by Mahsa Amini’s death swelled on the anniversary of a bloody 2019 crackdown.
The protesters were responding to a call to commemorate those slain in the 2019 crackdown, giving new momentum to the demonstrations sparked by the death of 22-year-old Amini in mid-September this year, after her arrest for allegedly flouting Iran’s strict dress code for women.
In Tehran, the din of honking car horns reverberated as protesters blocked a major roundabout at Sanat Square and yelled “Freedom, freedom”, according to verified footage.
People later poured onto the streets of other cities, including Bandar Abbas and Shiraz, where women were seen waving their headscarves above their heads.
The UN Human Rights Office called on Iran to immediately release thousands of people arrested for taking part in peaceful demonstrations.
“Instead of opening space for dialogue on legitimate grievances, the authorities are responding to unprecedented protests with increasing harshness,” spokesman Jeremy Laurence told reporters in Geneva.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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