The brutal crackdown on protests in Iran has had profound consequences in the world of sports. According to several sources, including the account "Persian Soccer", which follows developments in domestic football, a professional footballer lost his life during the wave of demonstrations against the ruling regime.
The man in question is Salar Behdari (20), a young goalkeeper for Aluminum Arak FC, who was allegedly killed by security forces while participating in the protests.
The news sparked strong public reactions and drew additional attention to the scale of violence in the country.
"We are saddened to confirm the first death of a player from the Persian Gulf Pro League," Persian Soccer announced.
"Salar Behdari was only 20 years old and was the goalkeeper for Aluminum Arak FC. He was a young, talented footballer with his whole life ahead of him - another young victim of violence in Iran."
According to official figures released by the regime, 3.117 people were killed in the crackdown on anti-government protests between December 28 and mid-January. However, numerous non-governmental organizations believe that these numbers are significantly underestimated.
The American organization "recorded at least 4.560 deaths, while some journalists from Tehran state that the number of victims exceeded 5.000, and could be many times higher.
For weeks, Iran has been rocked by a wave of protests not seen since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, while the international community faces increasingly serious accusations against the Iranian authorities for human rights violations.
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