Passport taken! The former Bundesliga player is detained in Iran

Former Bundesliga professional Ashkan Dejagah has been detained in Iran for four weeks. He is accused of taking part in protests against the Iranian government in Berlin.

Former Bundesliga player Ashkan Dejagah, like many professional athletes before him, is detained in Iran. The reports
German wave
“. He is accused of taking part in a demonstration for the freedom of protesters against the Iranian state government in Berlin in November. His passport was taken away four weeks ago and he is no longer allowed to leave Iran. According to Iranian media reports, Dejagah is even said to be in prison.

Dejagah is said to have expressed his condolences to relatives

His adviser Reza Fazeli also confirmed this on Twitter: “He was not allowed to take part in his team’s retreat in Dubai”, he writes, for example, citing the expressions of condolence to the relatives of the dead as the reason for the ban on leaving the country.

Ashkan Dejagah played for Hertha BSC Berlin as a teenager and won the German championship with VFL Wolfsburg in 2009. This was followed by spells in Qatar and England, and he has been playing in Iran since 2019.

Several professional athletes have already been arrested

Dejagah isn’t the first professional athlete to be arrested during the protests. On December 12, a basketball player was even executed there. Professional soccer player Amir Nasr-Asadani has been in custody since December 13. He also risks the death penalty.

Iran has been rocked for months by violent protests. They were triggered by the death of the young Kurdish Mahsa Amini on 16 September. The 22-year-old he died after being arrested by the assistant squad for improperly wearing the veil.

More recently, the executions of two young Iranians in connection with the protests caused international outrage. As a result, the European Union has tightened sanctions against Tehran. On Tuesday, the Iranian judiciary announced the sentencing of 400 defendants by Tehran courts. They are accused of being involved in the protests. They risk up to ten years in prison.