Farzin Marofi: Killed for Celebrating National Football Team’s Loss

Iranwire – One of the rare occurrences of civil expression during last year’s nationwide protests in Iran was the jubilation of citizens that followed the national football team’s defeat against the United States in the World Cup in Qatar.

This particular form of dissent ignited greater fury from the government and its forces than ever before.

In response to the street celebrations, the forces of the Islamic Republic swiftly resorted to brutal suppression. 

Farzin Marofi, from Tehran’s Ekbatan Town, was among the victims of the crackdown unleashed on the night of November 30.

Marofi met his untimely demise when he was shot in the head. The Islamic Republic described his death as being the result of an accident and attempted to depict the victim as a member of the paramilitary Basij force slain by protestors.

In an interview with a relative of Marofi, IranWire obtained information regarding this government-perpetrated murder.

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The football World Cup matches commenced more than two months after the start of the 2022 uprising and amid intense criticism over its political affiliations. 

In the days preceding the kick-off of the World Cup, the players and coaching staff held a meeting with President Ebrahim Raisi and were photographed with him. 

After the football team’s elimination from the World Cup on November 30, videos shared on social media showed Iranians dancing in the streets across the country well into the late hours of the night. 

Security forces brutally attacked those who dared to express joy over the national team’s defeat.

Farzin Marofi was accompanied by three friends when he was shot dead. Government agents swiftly transported his body to the morgue and detained his friends for a day. One of them is still missing.

The authorities approached his family, urging them to declare that Farzin was affiliated with the Basij and was killed by protestors. 

However, the family refused to endorse lies and vowed to seek the truth.

“Eventually, a staged narrative emerged, asserting that Farzin met his end in a car accident as a result of a collision with a guardrail,” a source said. 

His mother and uncle were prevented from accessing the scene of the killing until the authorities made it resemble an accident site.

On the evening of Farzin’s death a group of plainclothes agents, accompanied by his friends, arrived at Farzin’s residence. 

Upon discovering that the family was absent, they instructed a neighbor to inform them to present themselves at the local police station. Intriguingly, on that night, Farzin’s father was admitted to a hospital for surgery.

At the police station, the family noted the conspicuous presence of Basij forces.

Farzin’s relatives were denied access to his remains and were not handed his personal effects such as a wallet containing his ID card and money. 

The family asserts that Farzin always carried his wallet with him, yet security agents adamantly claimed that nothing had been recovered.

“Farzin owned two mobile phones, both of which were deliberately shattered and severed in half. This raised significant suspicions for the family. A phone does not break in two in an accident,” the source said. 

Farzin’s father became a target of intimidation by security forces concerning his burial. 

He received a threatening call saying he did not have the authorization to lay Farzin to rest in Mahabad. Instead, Farzin should be buried in Tehran’s Behesht Zahra cemetery. 

In addition, he was warned that his access to medicine would be curtailed and he would lose his job if a big ceremony was organized. Farzin’s father suffers from a kidney condition that requires consistent medication. 

Farzin’s father reluctantly acceded to these terms, but he was fired twice, only to be reinstated later.

“Farzin’s father grapples with a severe health condition, having undergone three kidney transplants to date. On numerous occasions, his father has been threatened due to his online activities and the narratives he shares about Farzin on his personal Instagram account,” the source said.