A former teammate of Iranian footballer Amir Nasr-Azadani, who faces the death penalty for participating in nationwide protests, has told Sky News that his friend is a “shy person” and “really kind”.
Speaking from Finland where he now captains top flight side VPS Vaasa, Sebastian Strandvall said: “Amir was one of the young guys on our team at the time, he was 19-20 years old at the time, quite the shy person and really kind… a normal, good guy.”
Nasr-Azadani, 26, was arrested last month as anti-regime demonstrations sweep across Iran. He was convicted of murdering a policeman and two militia members in a trial that human rights groups have called a sham.
Local news reports suggest his confession was coerced with members of his family ordered to stay silent.
His former teammate says the court ruling, which found Nasr-Azadani guilty of “waging war against God” was absurd. Execution is one of a number of possible consequences for this crime.
“Knowing Amir’s character, he would go to a protest… he and his friends, would stand up for basic rights, for women’s rights of course because he is the sort of the person who cares about others. But I don’t see him doing a war on God or anything,” Strandvall said.
The two played alongside one another at Rah-Ahan FC in Tehran during the 2015-16 season, and Strandvall even offered him a place to stay when the young Iranian found himself without accommodation.
‘It feels so far from reality’
The Finnish player says his friend may have participated in the demonstrations but does not believe he would commit a violent act.
“It is hard to describe the feeling, the shock, it is hard to fathom that it is actually him because it feels so far from reality, that someone might be facing the death sentence for participating in a peaceful protest,” he said.
Little is known about Nasr-Azadani’s condition, but one German MP is campaigning to raise people’s awareness of his plight.
Andreas Larem, who took over the sponsorship for Nasr-Azadani on 15 December, told Sky News he has written to the Iranian ambassador to Germany in Berlin and has asked the German Foreign Ministry for immediate help to get Nasr-Azadani released.
“He should have still some hope, he should know that we stand with him, and that we really force on every side where we can to get him out, and his friends being also in the prison get out of that situation, and I would like to see him and to meet him in Germany.”
Protests are ‘nationwide phenomenon’
As the clerics who run Iran are challenged in the streets, their forces have become increasing violent as they seek to preserve the regime.
The protests in Iran, which take place on a daily basis, have entered their fourth consecutive month and show little sign of weakening. The majority may centre on the Kurdish region of Iran and the capital Tehran, but they are a nationwide phenomenon.
Fuelled by a range of grievances, including the stifling restrictions placed on women’s dress, participants seek the removal of the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with the ageing mullahs who support him.
In response, police units and the revolutionary guards (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) have lashed out at those who defy the state.
Demonstrators have been beaten and targeted with shotguns – and in recent days, the government has begun to execute protesters.
Trials are a ‘sham’
Last week, Majidreza Rahnavard, who was thought to be 23 years old, was publicly hanged from the end of a construction crane. Rahnavard was accused of “waging war on God” after allegedly stabbing two members of the pro-government militia to death.
Human rights groups and western governments called the trial a sham.
According to Amnesty International, there are more than two dozen protesters facing the death sentence.
As the police struggle to contain this youthful rebellion, analysts accuse the regime of targeting personalities, like footballers, actors and writers – anyone with the power to influence others.
Iran’s most celebrated actress, Taraneh Alidoosti, was arrested last week after she condemned the state’s use of the death penalty against protesters.
The 38-year-old is best known for her 2016 role in the Oscar-winning film The Salesman.
Despite her international profile, she has vowed not to leave Iran.