Iranian football star Ali Karimi and his family have been banned from travel by the Iranian authorities for their support of anti-government protests sparked by the death of a young woman over the hijab issue.
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The British media reported the BBC citing a leaked document.
According to the news, Ali Karimi was one of the critics of the repression of the security forces in the anti-government protests. At that time, this footballer, known as the Maradona of Asia, was living in the United Arab Emirates.
According to the leaked documents, Karimi was invited to Iran nine times by our agents. He received serious warnings. In the letter, dated October 24, 2022, marked top secret, Iran's Revolutionary Guard intelligence unit told prosecutors in Tehran that Karimi was persuaded by his wife, Sahar Davari, and her family.
In the late 1980s, Karimi's wife Davari's father, Golamali Davari, was executed for being a member of the Iranian Communist Tudeh Party. At that time he was an officer in the Iranian Air Force.
Karimi's in-laws wanted to sell their mansion in an affluent area of the capital Tehran for $20 million to emigrate permanently, the documents claimed.
In the document, the Revolutionary Guard sought a travel ban on Karimi, Davari, his mother, stepfather, brother and sister.
The leaked letter was provided to BBC Persian by a hacking group called Edalat-e Ali. Karimi told BBC Persian in a phone interview that his older brother was also called several times. He was banned from leaving the country.
Iranian state media also claimed in early October that Karimi had sold his mansion in Lavasan. But Karimi told BBC Farsi, this is not true.
Protests erupted in Iran last year over the death of a 22-year-old Kurdish girl named Mahsa Amini. Mahsa was arrested in Tehran for not wearing hijab properly. He later died in police custody.
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