Eshragh Najafabadi | |
---|---|
Persian: اشراق نجفآبادی | |
Born | Eshragh Najafabadi May 23, 1992 Shiraz, Iran |
Nationality | Iranian |
Occupations | |
Known for | Iran's national Mountain Bike team |
Eshragh Najafabadi (Persian: اشراق نجفآبادی; born May 23, 1992 in Shiraz) is an Iranian athlete and a former member of Iran's national Mountain Bike team.[1] He was arrested during the Mahsa Amini protests in Iran.[2][3] He was accused of participation in the 2022 Shah Cheragh attack.[4] He was released after three months of detention.[5]
Career
Since 2003, Najafabadi was involved within the Iranian professional cycling sphere.[6][7] Between 2009 and 2012, he won the country's champion in the Danhil section of Iran's mountain biking competitions.[8]
Arrests
He was arrested in Shiraz in late October 2022.[9][10] His arrest was reported in the media after ten days, but no information about the reason for his arrest and his whereabouts were published for weeks.[11][12] Najafabadi claimed he was repeatedly tortured and forced to confess.[13][14]
On Wednesday, December 14, 2022 Tasnim News Agency affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps broadcast a video of Najafabadi and other detained athlete's forced confessions along claims that they were involved in an unsuccessful bombing plot in Shiraz.[15][16] Their pictures were broadcast showing some blindfolded and some in handcuffs.[17] In these forced confessions, Najafabadi was introduced as the leader of the group.[18] Najafabadi claimed that they were forced to make false confessions under extreme mental and physical torture.[19] According to the note of Article 48 of the Criminal Procedure Code, none of them had the right to access a lawyer at the time of arrest.[20][21]
On January 29, 2023, Seyyed Kazem Mousavi, the Chief Justice of Fars province, refuted allegations of bombing and declared that the indictment in this case was for assembly and collusion aimed at compromising national security. He also dismissed any accusations related to war and corruption of land.[22]
Reactions to arrest
- Theo Francken, former Minister of Immigration of Belgium and member of the Belgian parliament accepted political sponsorship.[23][24][25]
- Elisabeth Winkelmeier-Becker, representative and head of the Legal Commission of the German Parliament accepted political sponsorship.[26][27]
- Sol Zanetti, member of the Parliament of Quebec accepted political sponsorship.[28]
- Sawnil Sangeet Kumar, head of the Fiji Climbing Sports Federation, in a letter addressed to the Climbing World Federation, called for solidarity with the athletes.[29]
- Reza Deghati, photojournalist of National Geographic magazine; Hichkas, an Iranian rapper; and Reza Shokrallahi, an Iranian author all called for support for Najafabadi and the four other detainees in posts on Instagram and Twitter.[30][31]
Release
Najafabadi was released from prison on February 6, 2023 after three months.[32]
See also
References
- ^ Miller, Delaney (2023-01-11). "Iranian Climbers Arrested Amid Protest Crackdown". Climbing. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
- ^ "NEWS: Iranian Climbers Arrested and at Risk in Shiraz". www.ukclimbing.com. 2022-12-15. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
- ^ "گافهای یک سناریو انحرافی؛ پاپوش نظام برای ورزشکاران شیرازی". Al Arabiya (in Persian). 2022-12-20.
- ^ "Iran Protest Crackdown: Shiraz Mountaineers Hit By Wave Of Arrests". Iran Wire. 2022-12-08.
- ^ "تحولات ایران؛ دادگستری فارس از صدور کیفرخواست برای ۷ ورزشکار در پرونده بمبگذاری در شیراز خبر داد". Euro News (in Persian). 2023-01-29. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
- ^ "نخستین اردوی تیم ملی کوهستان با حضورمربی ژاپنی17 دی ماه برگزار می شود". IRNA. 2011-01-04. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
- ^ "اردوی تیم ملی دوچرخه سواری کوهستان زیر نظر سرمربی ژاپنی". IRNA. 2011-05-17. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
- ^ "فارس قهرمان رقابتهای دوچرخه سواری کوهستان جوانان ایران شد". IRNA. 2010-06-21. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
- ^ "Iranian Regime Makes Terrorism Claims Against Jailed Athletes". Iran International. 2024-04-20. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
- ^ "ابراز خشم عمومی از مرگ کیان و ادامه اعتراضها؛ شهرداری و حوزه علمیه سمیرم در آتش سوخت". BBC News (in Persian). Retrieved 2024-04-20.
- ^ "Iranian Athletes Face Death, Arrest, Heavy Sentences". Iran Wire. 2022-12-13.
- ^ "Climbing community, be the voice of oppressed Iranian mountaineers!". PlanetMountain.com. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
- ^ "Free the Iranian mountaineers". Alpine Mag | International Magazine. 2022-12-21. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
- ^ "راستیآزمایی «فکتنامه»: ادعای بمبگذاری در شیراز ۸ «تناقض و ابهام جدی» دارد". VOA (in Persian). 2022-12-21. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
- ^ "پخش «اعترافات ویدئویی بمبگذاری در شب حمله به شاهچراغ» از خبرگزاری نزدیک به سپاه". BBC News (in Persian). 2022-12-14. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
- ^ "پخش اعترافات اجباری ورزشکاران بازداشت شده در شیراز". Iran Wire. 2022-12-14.
- ^ "دیدن فیلم اعتراف و اتهام بمبگذاری «اشراق» مرا شوکه کرد". Etemad Online (in Persian). 2022-03-21.
- ^ "Iran's Incoherent Scenario For Alleged Shiraz Bombing Plot". Iran Wire. 2022-12-19.
- ^ "برادر اشراق نجفآبادی: در اعترافات اجباری تناقضهای بسیار زیادی وجود داشت". Iran International (in Persian). 2024-04-20. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
- ^ jasmin (2023-01-04). "Iranian Athletes Killed, Tortured, Sentenced to Death for Supporting Protests (Updated)". Center for Human Rights in Iran. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
- ^ "پروژه اعترافهای اجباری حکومت به ورزشکاران رسید". Independent (in Persian). 2022-12-15. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
- ^ "کیفرخواست ۷ متهم امنیتی در شیراز صادر شد". Mizan News Agency (in Persian). Retrieved 2023-01-29.
- ^ "Iranian Knowledge". app.iranianknowledge.com. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
- ^ "آمنهسادات ذبیحپور به حضور در جلسه بعدی دادگاه سپیده قلیان «ملزم شد»". Radio Farda (in Persian). 2023-08-07.
- ^ "Prinsoners Table List | Iranian Justice Collective". IJCollective. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
- ^ "Erzwungenes Geständnis: Siegburger Bundestagsabgeordnete übernimmt Patenschaft für inhaftierten iranischen Sportler". Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (in German). 2022-12-27. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
- ^ "افزایش کفالتهای سیاسی نمایندگان اروپایی در حمایت از معترضان ایرانی". Independent (in Persian). 2022-12-16. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
- ^ Pellus, Johanna (2023-01-21). "Les élus de Québec solidaire parrainent des prisonniers politiques iraniens". La Presse (in Canadian French). Retrieved 2024-04-20.
- ^ "درخواست حمایت رئیس فدراسیون ورزشهای صعودی کشور فیجی از ورزشکاران بازداشتی شیراز". Iran International (in Persian). 2024-04-20. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
- ^ "IR propaganda video supposedly showing disarmament of IED to fabricate evidence against 5 Iranian freedom seekers". Twitter. 2022-12-20.
- ^ "عرفان عزیز، قاعدتاً باید بگم با نیمفاصله، ولی چون اون یکی بیشتر استفاده شده و خیلیها هم اساساً با نیمفاصله آشنا نیستند، شاید بهتر باشه #اشراق_نجف_آبادی رو پیش ببریم". Twitter. 2022-12-16.
- ^ "ورزشکاران شیرازی از زندان آزاد شدند". Shargh (in Persian). Retrieved 2023-02-06.
External links