Amir Nasr-Azadani, the Iranian professional footballer who was sentenced to death in his own country last month, has now been sentenced to 26 years in prison. Iranian media report this on Monday.
Nasr-Azadani, 26, faced the death penalty for taking part in anti-government protests in his country. Several of his compatriots were recently executed for that reason.
Nasr-Azadani, who is reportedly serving a total of 16 years in prison for serving three different sentences at the same time, was convicted along with three others. They still get the death penalty.
According to the media in Iran, Nasr-Azadani, who campaigned for women’s rights and basic freedoms in his country, pleaded guilty under great pressure. His family would have been silenced.
The avoidance of the death penalty appears to be the result of pressure on the government. For example, several Iranian (former) footballers have already called on the government to suspend the execution of their compatriot.
Despite all the fuss about the regime in Iran, the country recently participated in the World Cup in Qatar. The Iranians stranded there in the group stage.