[3] Nasr Azadani was arrested in November 2022 during the Mahsa Amini protests, allegedly in connection with the deaths of a police officer and two Basij militia members.
[4][5] The Islamic Republic has executed two other Iranian men, Mohsen Shekari and Majidreza Rahnavard, both charged with the same crime for their participation in the Mahsa Amini protests on 8 and 12 December 2022, respectively.
[9] Reacting to the news of the sentence on 12 December, FIFPRO, the world-wide union of footballers, said it was "shocked and sickened" and called for "immediate removal of his punishment".
[10][11] Nasr Azadani has been charged with rioting against authorities but no sentence has been issued yet and it remains unclear when his trial is set to begin.
[13] Nasr Azadani joined Rah Ahan in 2015, after spending his youth career at Sepahan.