Iran releases footballer, prominent dissident on bail
Iranian authorities on Saturday released on bail former international footballer Voria Ghafouri and prominent dissident Hossein Ronaghi, two of the most prominent figures detained in the crackdown on the protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, reports said.
The arrest on Thursday of Ghafouri, who is Kurdish and had spoken out in support of the protests, had sparked an outcry as the Iranian team plays in the World Cup in Doha.
Ronaghi, meanwhile, had been detained since shortly after the protests started in midSeptember, and concern had been growing about his health after he mounted a hunger strike lasting two months.
“Voria Ghafouri and Hossein Ronaghi were released on bail,” Iran’s Fars news agency said on its social media accounts.
The Iranian newspaper Shargh also said that Ghafouri had been released following his arrest during a training session on Thursday.
“Hossein was released tonight on bail to undergo treatment,” Hossein Ronaghi’s brother Hassan wrote on Twitter.
Their father Ahmad posted a picture of Hossein in hospital, saying he had been released after a hunger strike that lasted 64 days.