Iran seizes former star footballer Ali Daei's passport for backing Mahsa Amini protests

Iran has confiscated the passport of former star footballer Ali Daei, local media reported on Monday, after he criticised the "repression" of protests over Mahsa Amini's death.

Iran has been gripped by nationwide demonstrations since the 22-year-old Kurdish woman's death was announced on 16 September, three days after she was arrested in Tehran for allegedly wearing her hijab 'incorrectly'. Amini's Kurdish name can be spelled "Zhina" or "Jina".

Daei on 27 September called on Iran's government to "solve the problems of the Iranian people rather than using repression, violence and arrests".

"The confiscation of Ali Daei's passport is due to what he has written on Instagram in response to the death of Mahsa Amini," reformist paper Hammihan reported.

Nicknamed "Shahriar" (king in Farsi), the former forward held the record for most international goals scored, at 109, until September 2021, when Cristiano Ronaldo overtook him.

Daei, 52, was one of Iran's first players to compete in a European league, having played in the Bundesliga, first with Arminia Bielefeld before joining Bayern Munich and then Hertha Berlin.

Hertha on Sunday tweeted that it was "dismayed looking at the current situation in Iran. Our former player Ali Daei is no longer permitted to leave the country because he has come out in favour of women's rights".

In remarks to the sports website Varzesh3 on Sunday, Daei's brother Mohammad said: "Ali has given his whole life to raise the flag of Iran, he loves the country and its people and always speaks the truth.

"What happened to Ali is regrettable."

Protests ignited by the death of #MahsaAmini in police custody continued across Iran on Sunday in defiance of a crackdown by the authorities, as a human rights group said at least 185 people, including children, had been killed in demonstrations.https://t.co/D300nehg3r

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) October 9, 2022

A number of Iranian sportsmen as well as actors and filmmakers have thrown their weight behind the demonstrations, asking authorities to listen to the people's demands.

On Thursday, local media reported that former Bayern Munich midfielder Ali Karimi was facing prosecution over his support for the protests.

The authorities have also seized the passports of singer Homayoun Shajarian and his wife, actress Sahar Dolatshahi, as well as that of filmmaker Mehran Modiri, the ILNA news agency reported on Sunday.

On 30 September, Iranian authorities arrested former football player Hossein Mahini over his support for the protests, accusing him of "encouraging riots". He was reportedly released on bail early last week.