Committee of Human Rights Reporters – Per reports from areas surrounding Azadi Stadium, security forces violently attacked protestors during today’s volleyball game and a number were arrested.
According to witnesses, security forces along with agents of the morality police arrested anybody who was wearing a white headscarf and forcefully dispersed the rest of the crowd. Men who were protesting in support of women (who are banned from the stadium) were beaten up, and their protest signs were confiscated and destroyed.
So far the arrest count is at about 45 men and women.
Women had been going to the stadium during the past volleyball games and stood outside in protest of not being allowed inside to watch the game. They reported that today security forces did not allow anyone to gather outside the stadium and engaged in violent encounters with people standing outside.
Women wore “white scarves” as a sign of protest against laws in Iran barring women from entering sports arenas and participating as spectators during sports events. Women converged outside the stadium were wearing the white scarves to object to not being allowed inside Azadi Stadium to watch Iran’s volleyball game.
A number of the women were attacked by the security forces and attempted to flee for shelter towards the wrestling building of the stadium but were chased down by security forces on motorcycles. A number of them were arrested.
Some of the obtained names of those arrested are: Fereshteh Tousi, Sajad Darvish, Ghonche Ghavami, Shahab Zabardast, Saha Montazeri, Fatemeh Gouya, Fatemeh Jamalou (Shargh journalist), Zahra Karimi (Mehrnameh journalist), Neda Naji.
In addition, the female journalists who had been reporting from inside the stadium were expelled from the sports arena.
The arrests continue.
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