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The Australian government on Monday granted asylum to five women from the Iranian soccer team, after they were eliminated in the Asian Cup last week.
In an official press release on Tuesday, the Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke confirmed that five of the players were granted emergency humanitarian visas and relocated by the Australian Federal Police to a safe confidential location. The players – Fatemeh Pasandideh, Zahra Ghanbari, Zahra Sarbali, Atefeh Ramazanzadeh, and Mona Hamoudi – stated that they “are not political activists but rather athletes that want to be safe.” Another two players were granted asylum Tuesday, but one changed her mind after speaking with her teammates and was encouraged to contact the Iranian embassy.
The players travelled to Australia before the start of the Iran war. They stayed silent during Iran’s national anthem at their opening game on March 2, which was described by Iran’s local media as a protest against the regime and led to them being labelled “wartime traitors.” Other reports however interpreted it as a sign of mourning. In their two subsequent games, the players sang the anthem but sought humanitarian asylum, citing fear of persecution following their loss to South Korea. Iranian-Australian supporters blocked the team’s bus as it left for the Brisbane airport, fearing for the team’s safety should they return home.
FIFPRO-Asia, the union for soccer players, urged FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to ensure the players’ safety in light of the war and Iranian state television’s public attacks. President Donald Trump posted his support on TruthSocial, offering asylum in the US if needed. He subsequently stated that some players “felt they must go back, because they are worried about the safety of their families, including threats to those family members if they don’t return.” Esmaeil Baqaei, a spokesperson for the Iranian foreign minister, responded on X, accusing the Australian government of holding the soccer players hostage. He confirmed that Iran would welcome the players home with “open arms.”
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In an official press release on Tuesday, the Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke confirmed that five of the players were granted emergency humanitarian visas and relocated by the Australian Federal Police to a safe confidential location. The players – Fatemeh Pasandideh, Zahra Ghanbari, Zahra Sarbali, Atefeh Ramazanzadeh, and Mona Hamoudi – stated that they “are not political activists but rather athletes that want to be safe.” Another two players were granted asylum Tuesday, but one changed her mind after speaking with her teammates and was encouraged to contact the Iranian embassy.
The players travelled to Australia before the start of the Iran war. They stayed silent during Iran’s national anthem at their opening game on March 2, which was described by Iran’s local media as a protest against the regime and led to them being labelled “wartime traitors.” Other reports however interpreted it as a sign of mourning. In their two subsequent games, the players sang the anthem but sought humanitarian asylum, citing fear of persecution following their loss to South Korea. Iranian-Australian supporters blocked the team’s bus as it left for the Brisbane airport, fearing for the team’s safety should they return home.
FIFPRO-Asia, the union for soccer players, urged FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to ensure the players’ safety in light of the war and Iranian state television’s public attacks. President Donald Trump posted his support on TruthSocial, offering asylum in the US if needed. He subsequently stated that some players “felt they must go back, because they are worried about the safety of their families, including threats to those family members if they don’t return.” Esmaeil Baqaei, a spokesperson for the Iranian foreign minister, responded on X, accusing the Australian government of holding the soccer players hostage. He confirmed that Iran would welcome the players home with “open arms.”
The post Australia grants asylum to Iranian women soccer team appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.