Voria Ghafouri: November Since 2019 is 'Evocative of Dark Days'

Voria Ghafouri, former player of the Iranian national team, in a post on Instagram on his birthday, referred to November as 'evocative of dark days' since 2019. In this post, he also expressed happiness over the release of Tomaj Salehi and hoped that 'all honorable prisoners' would be freed. Ghafouri, the former captain of Esteghlal Tehran, wrote: 'November, which since 2019 evokes dark days. My mood will forever be bitter in this month.' He continued: 'My birthday coincided with the news of the release of dear #Tomaj_Salehi, a news that was very joyful. Hoping for the freedom of all honorable prisoners.' Tomaj Salehi, a protest rap singer opposed to the Islamic Republic, was released from Isfahan's Dastgerd prison on Saturday, November 18, after posting bail. Voria Ghafouri is a former Iranian football player who faced restrictions due to his critical stance on social and political issues, ultimately retiring from professional football. In December 2022, Iranian government agencies arrested Ghafouri on charges of 'propaganda activity and conspiracy against the regime,' although he was released on bail after a few days. This Kurdish footballer was denied entry to the stadium when he intended to bid farewell to his beloved sport in a Tehran derby in June 2023, although the supportive chants from fans of Esteghlal and Persepolis on that day indicated his popularity. Ghafouri's farewell note on Instagram received over 1.3 million interactions. Following the involvement of several famous athletes and their families in the nationwide protests, the Islamic Republic has intensified judicial actions against these individuals. The wife of Hossein Mahini, former captain of Persepolis football team, mentioned in a recent summons to the court that security forces had frightened their children by entering their home in his absence. Hossein Mahini, a former star of Iranian football, was arrested during the nationwide protests for supporting the demonstrators and was later released on bail. Anis Mohammadi, the wife of this well-known footballer, stated that the charges against her were 'producing and distributing obscene and vulgar works through computer and telecommunications systems' and indicated that she would sue the accusers for 'insult, defamation, and spreading falsehoods and blackening.' Following the involvement of several famous athletes and their families in the nationwide protests, the Islamic Republic has intensified judicial actions against these individuals. Ali Karimi, Ali Daei, Karim Bagheri, Voria Ghafouri, and Parviz Boromand are other well-known footballers who faced the wrath of the Iranian authorities after criticizing the suppression of protesters. While last autumn, Ali Daei reported threats against himself and his family in his Instagram posts, two stores owned by Ali Daei were shut down in December of last year, and security agents returned his wife and child, who were heading to Dubai, from the middle of the road and disembarked them from the plane. Another famous footballer, Ali Karimi, also faced angry reactions from Iranian officials after supporting the protesters and openly opposing the Islamic Republic. While this former star of the national team and Persepolis club resides abroad, his sister, Leila Karimi, was imprisoned in June of this year on charges of 'fraud.' Government officials had also threatened Ali Karimi last autumn that they would confiscate part of his assets in Iran, including his villa in Lavasan. Karim Bagheri, a coach of the Persepolis football team for several seasons, had previously mentioned the possibility of being banned from working after supporting Ali Karimi, his former teammate. Karim Bagheri has since been removed from coaching the Persepolis team this season. Parviz Boromand, former goalkeeper of Esteghlal, was also arrested last autumn and was released on bail after some time.