'Their voice': Calgarian arrested in Qatar returns home after protests at World Cup
Hila Yadegar said people within Iran have been silenced by the regime. She wanted to give them a voice at the World Cup
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Two Calgarians who were arrested in Qatar during the FIFA World Cup are urging continued protests of the current regime in Iran now that the global event has ended.
Hila Yadegar and her husband, Farshid Papaei, attended the match between England and Iran on Nov. 21 with the former flag of Iran — which features a lion and sun and has become a symbol of protests in that country — while wearing shirts with a similar logo. Yadegar said they waved the flag during the national anthems, and 20 minutes later a security guard asked them to leave the stadium.
They refused, and in the second half Qatari police asked them to leave the stadium and took their information.
The couple attended a second game with their shirts and flag, and this time they were detained.
“They separated me and my husband,” said Yadegar. “Also, they said now we have to check your cellphone and we want to delete all the movies and pictures that you took.”
Yadegar said she was eventually reunited with her husband after several hours. They were both told to delete all of the footage they took inside the stadium, and were told to sign a statement saying they would no longer protest at the World Cup.
Yadegar and Papaei were protesting the Islamic Republic regime of Iran.
‘Support my people’
The death of Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody after being arrested over her clothing, sparked weeks of anti-government protests in the western Asian country. Iran Human Rights, a non-profit organization, has reported that more than 450 people have been killed during the protests, with reports that several protesters have been executed.
Yadegar said people within Iran have been silenced by the regime. She wanted to give them a voice at the World Cup.
“I want to support my people,” said Yadegar. “They don’t have any voice. It was my plan to be there because the World Cup is a very big event.”
Papaei echoed that sentiment, saying he wanted to lend his voice to the Iranian people. He said many Iranian journalists and anti-authority residents were unable to travel to Qatar.
“It was a big event, you know, we could take attention of the news and also of the more than two million people that attended this event,” said Papaei.
Dr. Mandana Sobhanzadeh is an associate professor in Mount Royal University’s physics department who has spoken out against the Iranian regime. She said research shows global sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup play a major role in sharing people’s values, needs, concerns and knowledge around the world.
Sobhanzadeh said FIFA should be ashamed that Iranian protests at the games were silenced.
“This is something that Iranian people will not forget,” said Sobhanzadeh.
She said she is proud of Yadegar and Papaei for raising their voices despite being halfway around the world from their homes.
“It shows that Iranian people, they have courage and they want regime change, and they want the whole world to hear what they want,” said Sobhanzadeh.
Now back in Canada, Yadegar said she wants Calgarians and Canadians to lend their voices to the Iranian people. Papaei also called for Canadians to send messages to FIFA, given Canada is a co-host of the 2026 games, to demand a defence of human rights.
“I just want to support the Iranian people,” said Yadegar. “It was my goal to be their voice.”
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