Iranian Kurds Arrested for Celebrating Country’s Football Defeat

Iranian authorities have arrested 10 young people in the country’s western Kurdish regions for celebrating the national football team's defeat to Qatar in the AFC Asian Cup semifinals, a human rights organization reported. 

Hengaw said on February 19 that four of them, identified as Diako Behroojeh, Mohammad Yousefi, Hamzeh Barzgar and Mohammad Mahmoudi, were arrested over the past few days in the western Kurdish city of Javanrood.

Three of the detainees are under the age of 18.

According to Hengaw at least seven other “minors and teenagers” were detained for expressing joy over Iran's defeat against Qatar on February 7.

The minors were transferred to the Kermanshah Correction and Development Center, while the others were sent to Dieselabad Prison in Javanroud, the organization said.