- Joshua Nevett
- BBC reporter
A number of self-exiled Iranian athletes urged the Olympic Games organizers to investigate Iran’s human rights violations. They claimed that they were continuously intimidated by the authorities and had to pay the price for publicly criticizing the country. The three athletes told the BBC why they refused to give in.
Image source,Mahdi Jafargholizadeh
Mehdi Jaffagh Holizad won medals for Iran at the International Karate Championships.
Sitting in an airport, he intuitively told Mahdi Jafargholizadeh that his escape plan had been revealed.
The Iranian karate master paid the traffickers and hoped to go to Canada, but the boarding gate became the end of the journey.
In 2004, he was arrested on suspicion of spying for Israel-Israel is Iran’s archenemy.
The Iranian authorities have vigorously suppressed freedom of speech and severely cracked down on dissidents. Even outstanding athletes can be persecuted and accused of vague charges by human rights groups for criticizing those in power. This is the situation of Jaffa Holizard.
During the six months after his arrest, Jaffagh Holizard claimed to have been tortured in custody. The interrogators continued to press and force him to confess his guilt and repent.
He refused to give in. In 2005, he was finally released. The authorities told him that he had made a mistake. He once again participated in the Karate Elite Championship, as if nothing had happened.
Image source,Mahdi Jafargholizadeh
Jaffagh Holizard (right) said that he has never understood why he was arrested.
However, something happened that made him even more hopeful to leave Iran and escape to life.
In 2008, the opportunity came. He quietly left the team when he went to Germany with the national team and came to Finland to seek asylum. Today he is one of the best karate coaches in the area.
Jaffar Holizard said that he now feels free.
The BBC sought a response from the Iranian authorities on its allegations, but was ignored.
“Unite for Navid”
Many Iranian athletes fled overseas, accusing them of discrimination and political interference in sports at home, as did the three interviewees in this article.
After Iranian wrestler Navid Afkari was executed in September 2020, which triggered an international outcry, they felt they must stand up.
Image source,Twitter
Human rights advocacy group Amnesty International described Afkari’s execution as “a distortion of justice.”
The advocacy movement “United for Navid” (United for Navid) came into being, calling for the ban on Iranian participation in international sports events, including the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.
In recent months, the campaign has sent three letters urging the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to investigate 20 allegations of violations of the human rights of athletes by Iran.
The BBC relayed the case to the Iranian authorities, but it fell to nothing.
The letter pointed out that these cases indicate that the Iranian authorities violated the Olympic Charter, which requires the organizers to “take action against any form of discrimination and violence in sports.”
IOC told the BBC that it is reviewing the allegations. A spokesperson said that once the ICO determines that Iran is in violation of the Olympic Charter, the IOC will conduct a formal investigation to “fully establish the facts and take all necessary measures.”
Allegations of Discrimination
Sardar Pashaei has long and publicly pressured the IOC to increase its efforts. He was originally an Iranian wrestling champion and also coached the national team until he fled to the United States in 2009.
Image source,Sardar Pashaei
Sardar Pashai was a world wrestling champion.
He said that the reasons for the fleeing include arbitrary restrictions on travel and hindering employment. He thinks that his father’s political background may be the reason for his treatment.
He said that when he was a coach, some players who performed well were asked to lose the game so as not to face Israeli players in the next round. Iran does not recognize Israel’s qualification as a state and prohibits its athletes from competing with Israeli players.
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For female athletes, they have to face even more restrictions.
Soheila Farahani has been a successful Iranian volleyball player and national referee for decades. She set a precedent at the age of 32 and became Iran’s first female international volleyball referee.
In the eyes of the public, her sexual orientation is under close scrutiny.
As she spoke, she broke down: “The process of recognizing yourself is very difficult. I don’t have anyone to talk to. In Iran, if you are a lesbian, you are in danger.”
The ensuing probing questions increased the risk, and he decided to immigrate to the United States in 2015. But this does not protect her from Iranian law.
In 2018, she was expelled from Iran’s international volleyball referee list for not wearing a hijab (hijab) in the United States. In Iran, it is mandatory for women to wear a headscarf, while homosexuality is a criminal offence and can be sentenced to death.
“Sports is a threat to the government”
Another female athlete in exile was very afraid of concerns about the safety of her family in Iran and refused to disclose her name. She said that since joining the “Unity for Navid” movement, the threats have intensified.
These threats are mainly from Instagram private messages, and some of them are mobile text messages that she believes are sent from Iranian intelligence services.
One of the messages translated from Persian said: “If you continue to engage in activities against us, we will cut off your head and give it to your family.”
Image source,Getty Images
The “Unity for Navid” movement accused Iran of violating the Olympic Charter.
Masih Alinejad, an Iranian journalist and human rights activist based in the United States, told the BBC that intimidating self-exiled athletes is typical of the Iranian authorities.
She said: “Sports is an opportunity for the Iranian government to write its ideology on the athlete’s body.”
But Majid Tafreshi, a British international affairs analyst, said that the “Unity for Navid” movement is not conducive to the Iranian people and their national interests.
He said: “The Iranians do not support the execution of Afkari, but almost everyone is absolutely against the prohibition of Iran’s participation in international sports activities.”
Pashai expects that even if no ban is issued, Olympic officials will at least investigate allegations of discrimination and violence against athletes in Iran. He promised that “we will never give up” until they do it.